


The Art of Losing

by thespace_inmyhead



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Dark Josie Saltzman, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, Jealousy, Love Triangles, Lovers to Friends, Slow Burn, Yearning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:14:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 117,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22382398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespace_inmyhead/pseuds/thespace_inmyhead
Summary: Josie laughs in a short, sad kind of way. “In all the ways I might tick a box of his, you completely overwhelm it. He’d have been filled with joy just at the idea of you loving him. I will never have that effect.”Hope shakes her head. “Well I don’t understand that.” Their bodies are pressed close in the cold, noses almost brushing. “Because everything about you is overwhelming.”-Hope is desperate to regain Josie's trust after she and Landon collectively break her heart. But things become complicated as the three navigate their feelings under the growing threats within the school.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 1294
Kudos: 2626





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be v slow burn hosie, also it plays around with canon but mostly won't be. If you enjoy let me know:)

**Part One**

Lying in Landon’s bed, Hope feels an immense relief. It may sound arrogant, but just spending a couple of hours talking, with his adoring gaze tracing the features of her face, has made her feel wanted again for the first time in weeks. 

Landon always looks at her like he can’t quite believe she even notices his existence, like if he were to glance away for a second she might explode silently into a million particles of untraceable dust. Right now, it’s exactly what she needs: someone who’s actually glad to be around her, to _remember_ her.

_The same couldn’t be said for others._

Feeling a wave of anxiety, Hope focuses on small details in the room: the airy whisper of Landon’s breath as he sleeps, the scratchy feeling of the old quilt beneath her, the _Star Wars_ and _Lord of the Rings_ posters stuck messily along his wall. Having lived in it for at least six months now, the room no longer holds that bare, anonymous feel it had when the boys first moved in. Various shirts are strewn across the carpet, and a small, portable C.D player sits on Landon’s chest of drawers next to a haphazard pile of CDs. A shelf above his bed holds some random items: a pack of cards, a clock, a couple of 17th birthday cards from earlier in the year that he’s obviously cherished, and a digital camera. Hope recognises it as the one Alaric gave Landon for his birthday– an old one of his. Landon’s dorky grin had been uncontainable that day as he snapped picture upon picture. 

(It had also been pretty uncontainable later than night when Hope had given him his first blowjob as a birthday treat; his cheeks flushed crimson, hands twisting the same scratchy quilt she’s lying on now.)

Talking of photos, stuck beneath the shelf and above the bed’s headrest are some of Landon’s favourite pictures. There's a slightly blurry shot taken with flash at a party out in the woods; Landon with his arms flung around MG and Raf, his beer bottle in hand looking dangerously close to spilling on Raf’s shoulder, their grinning mouths caught in the infectious, fluid motion of laughter. There's one of Lizzie pointedly holding up a middle finger, mouth held in a firm, unimpressed line but a smile flickering in her eyes. Another shows everyone decked out in their football jerseys, posing pre-game as Landon pretends to look tough in the middle, ball in hand. Lizzie is rolling her eyes as MG pulls her in by the waist, clearly forcing her into the photo.

Hope's heart tugs a bit, knowing that she was probably on her way in the Mystic High school bus at the time, part of the other team, and not a part of the photo. 

Hating the way that the group photo makes her feel, Hope flicks her eyes across to the remaining few. She quickly regrets this. 

Every other photo is Josie, Josie, Josie. 

Most of them are from the summer. Josie in a pretty red dress, sitting on a picnic blanket, looking simultaneously gleeful and embarrassed at Landon’s photo taking. Her cheeks are a little sunburnt, the remains of what looks like a pizza next to her. Another shows her mid-attempt at pulling herself out of the lake, wearing a delicate yellow bikini. She’s laughing, holding out a hand presumably for Landon to help her. Her skin is a delicious caramel colour from the sun, freckles dotting her shoulders, small breasts pushed upwards by the deck and defined collar bones protruding. 

Hope pulls her eyes away quickly, feeling strange in her examination. To her, Josie still feels like competition, even though she’s the one that Landon chose. Perhaps it’s because in looking at these photos, Josie’s beauty is palpable: an intoxicating mix of innocence and sensuality. 

Unable to stop herself, she keeps looking. A darker, more hazy photo seems to have been taken in the woods, a speckled night sky cloaking the surroundings. Landon and Josie are squeezed together, wearing turtleneck sweaters, the colours of a movie playing across their faces. Landon has his lips pressed to Josie’s temple. She looks oddly fragile with his arm wrapped around her, and surprisingly, Landon looks like a guy who could actually protect her. 

Lastly, in what Hope must begrudgingly admit is a beautiful photo, is a candid of Josie. She sits with a ukulele in her hands, a small frown on her face as she focuses on playing a chord. The golden hour sun catches every shade of colour in her hair, illuminating her face in a way that would be criminal not to admire. 

Feeling more upset than she probably should considering she knows that Landon did have photos of her at one point, ( _and_ said boy is currently right beside her) Hope lies back down. 

She’s frustrated. Frustrated that the boy she loves clearly spent the summer indulging in the beauty of Josie Saltzman, that while this was happening she was stuck in the oppressive darkness of Malivore with Clarke. Frustrated that Landon gets all the good bits of Josie, and she gets all the snark and resentment. Frustrated that the friendship she and Josie had so carefully cultivated with hesitant hands and gestures and smiles had been shattered like a china plate.

Although...she supposes it could be salvageable. The conversation they had a couple of nights ago, when Landon ran from the imminent pressure of his choice, showed some promise. Hope hadn’t felt right returning to the school, not without a word of allowance from Josie. It had nagged at her all day, making her uncomfortable in her skin. Strange, considering that the school had been her home for years.

Even with the whole _Simulandon_ debacle, Josie had barely looked at her, instead becoming more obviously distraught as the day crept on and Landon’s conscience repeatedly declared his love for Hope. Landon had studiously avoided the both of them, chastising Simulandon with clear panic. She had watched helplessly as Josie furiously wiped tears away before anyone could see them, desperately yearning to gather her into her arms yet knowing she was the last person Josie wanted to touch.

She’d approached Josie’s room that night with immense caution, feeling as though breathing wrong could result in her being turned away. But Josie, looking exhausted and small in her bed, had been surprisingly allowing of Hope’s presence. Perhaps it was because of the day they had both had, perhaps she just didn’t have the energy in that moment to keep up the aggressive front she had so relentlessly held. 

Overwhelmed with relief and gratification Hope hadn’t been able to stop herself from crying – something she didn’t do often – and, softened by her display of emotion, Josie had yielded, taking her hand and saying the words she had needed to hear.

_I want you to stay._

But now, Landon has broken up with Josie. It doesn’t take the churning feeling in her stomach to know that changes everything. 

Feeling suddenly very unhappy, Hope turns over to face Landon. She strokes a well shaped fingernail down his cheek, revelling in the faint white line it leaves, focusing on the feeling of his skin. His mouth is slightly open, puffy lips a little chapped. She leans closer and breathes him in: a comforting woody aroma combined with a slight smell of old clothes and minty aftershave. She presses little kisses across his face until he wakes up, blinking dumbly for a second before noticing her, his lips quirking up in a flash of a smile. 

_This is better. Just be in the moment._

She rolls on top of him, losing herself in willful oblivion.

  
  


***

She’s walking to the showers the next morning when Lizzie, hair wrapped in a towel, shoots a glare her way. Hope comes to a stop, grabbing Lizzie’s arm before she can charge dramatically past her. 

“What was that?”

“What was what?” Lizzie says obtusely, raising her eyebrows. “Unhand me!” She jerks her arm out of Hope’s grip. 

“That death glare!”

“Oh sorry, it becomes distinctly harder for me to control my facial expressions when I’m _exhausted._ ” She drags the last word out.

Hope sighs, not in the mood to play detective. “Why are you so tired?”

At her tone, Lizzie’s eyes narrow. In a lowered, but significantly more angry voice, she responds. “I don’t know Hope, maybe because I was up until 3am comforting a sobbing Josie.”

Something inside Hope droops like a wilted flower. “Oh. I, uh...oh.” She clenches and unclenches her fists, feeling immensely guilty and disturbed by the idea of Josie so upset. 

Lizzie’s piercing stare weakens, just slightly, at the look of her. “Look Hope, I know you don’t mean to hurt her, but really what did you expect? She saw you two heading into the school together from her window, she knows you were with him last night.” Lizzie sighs, the sound short and expelled with impatience. “You could have waited a little bit.”

Hope bites hard on her lip, the sharpness of the pain a necessity. “I know. I was just so caught up in him, and the moment–”

“I get it. I do.” Lizzie interrupts. “But things aren’t the same as when you left. All summer it was just Josie and Landon. Jo...she puts her all into things, into people, you know? It leaves her very empty afterwards.” 

“Where is she now?’ Hope’s voice is small, like it doesn’t wish to take up much space. 

“Asleep. I don’t think she’s going to class today.”

Hope nods. “Maybe I should–”

“No Hope, give her some space.” Lizzie gives her one last look of warning before heading back to the twins’ room, toiletry bag swinging in her hand.

  
  


***

She tries to, she really does. 

All day she attempts to focus on her classes, tries to resume the motions that have become foreign to her after so many months of not participating in them. Things seemed to have altered, not drastically, but enough to throw her off kilter on a day that has already got her balancing on one foot. 

She can’t find her stupid Charms class.

To make matters worse, Landon greets her with a peck on the lips at breakfast. She tries to turn her head but isn’t quick enough. 

“Landon, no. We can’t do that.” She hisses at him. He looks at her with wounded eyes. “Think about Josie.”

At that his head drops and he nods, looking guilty. He’s quiet the rest of breakfast, haplessly pushing his cereal around the bowl.

By mid morning whispers of Landon and Hope’s reunion––and Josie’s obvious dumping–– have spread around the school. 

Hope is getting increasingly irritated, snapping at anyone who looks at her for too long. She already has a bit of a reputation for being brusque – it’s why people are afraid of her – and this day is only solidifying that. Everything is annoying her: the squeaking of chairs, the sticky attachment and reattachment of gum from the girl’s teeth beside her as she chews obnoxiously, she even snaps again at Landon at lunch for asking her for the fifth time that day if she’s okay.

“No, I’m not okay! Obviously. Nothing about anything is ok.” She presses her knuckles against her forehead, willing away the headache that is forming from the relentless chatter of the cafeteria.

Landon sighs, annoyed. “Sorry for caring Hope.” They’re sitting alone; Lizzie is with MG and Rafael three tables across. Rafael returned today after being with his father. She knows she should ask him how it went but right now she doesn’t have the energy to deal with the weird, self-conscious way he talks to her since confessing his feelings. From what Landon has told her, it went really well. She’s very happy for him.

“I just, I have to make this better.” Hope stands up. 

“How?”

“Look, I’ll see you later, okay?” 

She barely catches Landon’s confused nod before she turns and heads towards the food counter, picking up a sandwich before she leaves.

  
  


***

Once outside Josie’s room, Hope is hit with a sharp sting of anxiety. She pulls the sleeves of her cardigan down over her knuckles, a nervous action that softens her knock.

For a few trembling seconds, there’s no response. Then slowly, the door cracks open. Josie, dressed in an oversized sweater and pyjama bottoms stares back at her. She looks drained, her doe eyes dull and her face covered in blotchy spider webs of red: the remnants of her crying. The way her face is makeup free, her lips pouty and upset, and her hair pulled back in a careless ponytail makes her appear younger than sixteen. 

For a fleeting second she’s caught off guard, eyes widening almost imperceptibly, then her face hardens as she aggressively pushes the door open wider. 

“What the hell do you want, Hope?” She spits.

Her tone, though not unexpected, cuts through Hope with cruel effectiveness. She keeps her voice even.

“To see you. To check if you’re okay.” Even as she says the words she recognises the ridiculousness of them, sees their futility the same way she saw it when Landon spoke them to her earlier. 

“Oh I’m just dandy. Never better.” Josie snarks, her voice cracking from lack of use.

Hope just stands there, not sure how to be anything but inadequate. Josie seems to wait for her to say something else, and when she doesn’t rolls her eyes and makes to close the door.

“Wait, Jo.” Feeling desperate, Hope reaches out and grabs Josie’s hand. “I’m so, so sorry.” Her voice wavers, full of emotion that's threatening to tip out of her. 

Josie can’t seem to pull her gaze away from the hand on her wrist. She’s glowering at it, eyes moving between furious and tormented. 

Without dropping her hand, Hope uses the other one to fumble in her bag, pulling out the sandwich. 

“I never meant to hurt you,” She whispers, pained. “Here I got you this, I know you tend not to eat when you’re upset.” 

Finally lifting her eyes, Josie stares at the sandwich. Her lip trembles for a second before she pulls her hand away from Hope’s. 

“Well, you did.” Watery eyes, hurt and defiant, meet hers before all she sees is the wooden oak door, slammed pointedly in her face.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

She goes to find Landon later that evening, feeling guilty for earlier. He isn’t at dinner so she assumes he’s grabbed something to take back to his room.

Rafael is the one who comes to the door. He seems to have signed off for the evening, dressed only in a pair of baggy basket-ball shorts. “Hope! Uh, nice to see you.” 

He steps forward with his arms out. Slightly taken aback, Hope moves forward too and they engage in a rather stiff embrace. Raf’s chest is hard and unyielding.

“How’s it going?” She smiles.

“Yeah, not too bad. Seeing my dad was great but it’s good to be back.”

“I was so surprised when Landon told me you’d found him, I’m really happy for you Raf.” She says genuinely.

He gives her one of those bashful smiles. “Thanks Hope, that means a lot coming from you.”

Hope isn't sure exactly what that means, but smiles back anyway. "So..." Feeling a growing awkwardness, she tries to peer around him. “Landon in?” 

“He’s taking a shower, but come in.” 

“Uh, sure.”

Hope chooses to sit on Landon’s bed rather than Raf’s. She knows she shouldn’t feel weird around him but honestly it always seems like he’s about to confess his deep feelings for her again.

Avoiding Raf's stare, she compares his side of the room to Landon's. It's a lot less dork and a lot more alpha: a couple of basketball posters and a small basketball hoop, a few weights, various colognes on his dresser, sports magazines, a skateboard leant against his wardrobe. No fantasy books or journals or music or any of the things that make Landon so sweet and appealing to her in a nerdy, non-threatening, adorable kind of way. 

“So… I heard from Landon that Josie’s not taking any of this well.” Raf breaks Hope out of her musings. At his words, the muscles in her body pull tight. 

“Yeah well, would you?”

He shrugs, fiddling with his duvet cover. “I’m taking it pretty well I think, all things considered.”

“ _All things considered_ , Raf, you are not in the same situation. I didn’t _break up_ with you.” 

Raf avoids her eyes, jaw clenching. “No, you just flirted with me for weeks, letting me believe I had a chance.”

“What?” Hope asks incredulously. 

He looks at her, and she’s surprised to see unconcealed anger in his dark eyes. “All that time, you were just waiting for Landon to remember you, never actually considering me as an option, just stringing me along for your own amusement.”

Hope is a bit lost for words. Only for a second though. Then her eyes narrow and she stands up, outraged. “I never _flirted_ with you Raf, you just seem to think that every smile I give you is an invitation to my bed.” He opens his mouth to refute her statement but she keeps talking before he can argue. “And even if I did, so fucking what? It’s not a declaration of love, I never implied that I had feelings for you, the most I did was tell you I technically wasn’t seeing anyone!”  
  


Raf is moving to stand up too when Landon comes into the room, dressed in some plaid pyjama bottoms and a grey t-shirt, running a towel across his wet curls. 

"Oh, hey Hope,” He starts to smile before noticing the aggressive stances of his girlfriend and best friend. “Uh, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Hope snaps, giving Rafael a piercing glare before turning and leaving through the still open door, slamming it behind her with a wave of her hand. 

It’s only when she’s back in her room, in bed – after shooting Alyssa the middle finger for asking what had her panties in a twist – and has calmed down that she realises she snapped at Landon _again_ , when she’d specifically gone there to make nice with him.

“Uhhh.” She groans into her pillow, fed up with everything.

“Um, can you not do _that stuff_ while I’m in the room? Have a bit of class would you?”

  
"What..?” Then her eyes widen. “Ew, I wasn’t!”

“Yeah, sure. Not that I blame you considering the PG 13 relationship you have with that loser, but _I_ definitely don’t want to hear it and anyway, I’m _trying_ to sleep.”  
  


“ _Shut up,_ Alyssa.”  
  


  
  


***

  
Josie is in class the next day. She looks tired, a purple hue beneath her eyes, and pretty much ignores everyone around her, shoulders hunched defensively. 

She refuses to catch Hope’s eyes and doesn’t respond to the _i really am sorry_ that Hope writes in her notepad and spells to appear in Josie’s. Eventually Hope gives up, choosing instead to stare out the window. The sky is an oil spill swirl of blues and greys. She hopes the blues win out as Alaric has set up another football game against Mystic High for later. It was to be a regular occurrence from now on; the last friday of every month. Apparently to him, it was crucial in keeping the community of Mystic Falls from feeling hostility towards the Salvatore School. He also deemed it an effective bonding exercise for the students– teamwork and all that.

Hope doubts there’s going to be any smooth teamwork going on with the state their team is in right now. To make matters worse, Lizzie, who is easily one of their better players, is out sick with a cold. Hope had been suspicious of this, thinking that she may just be using the game as an opportunity to have some alone time with Sebastian. However, when she drops by her room at lunch under the guise of handing over some cold medicine, Lizzie comes to the door red nosed and sniffly. 

“Oh, so you _are_ sick.” 

“Yes, you bitch.” Lizzie replies lightly, her voice scratchy. She snatches the medicine from Hope’s hands, examining the label. “Eurgh, not this stuff, it tastes like vomit. You couldn’t have got me the strawberry flavoured one?” 

Hope rolls her eyes, then leans against the doorway, huffing. “I really do not want to play this stupid game.”

Lizzie is uncapping the bottle as she replies: “Because Dad won’t let you use magic?”

“No, because Josie hates Landon and I, Raf is pissing me off at the moment, MG is keeping his distance due to his alliance with Josie and Kaleb just thinks we’re all idiots. The team’s a mess!”

Lizzie finally gets the medicine cap off and starts glugging it down. 

“Steady on there.” Hope raises her eyebrows.

Lizzie pulls the medicine from her lips. “My throat is like fucking sandpaper. So you guys suck. Who cares? Without me you don’t stand a chance anyway.”

Hope chuckles a little, not disagreeing. “Anyway,” Lizzie continues, “I’m going back to bed. You better pray that Josie doesn’t have any more dark spells up her sleeve, 'cause girl, you'd be her first target.”

Hope sighs.

***

It’s drizzling miserably, the air damp and clinging to their faces as they stand huddled in a group together on the pitch, Kaleb and MG desperately trying to hype the team up.

Hope half expects Josie to be as revved up and aggressive as she’d been at the last flag football game– it seemed like a good potential outlet for her anger- but she’s quite the opposite, standing to the side and looking about as enthusiastic to play as a cat does to take a bath. She’s got her hair pulled back with a blue ribbon bow, but has foregone the usual face paint. Her jersey is adorably oversized on her and for a second Hope wants to tease her about it, but then Josie catches her looking and frowns so she averts her eyes. 

Just then the Mystic High bus pulls up and the black and reds come pouring out, full of all the energy and determination that their team is severely lacking.

Hope catches sight of Maya, who actually comes over and gives her a hug. “Hey stranger, when you said your texting game was bad, I didn’t realise you meant _this_ bad.” she pokes. 

Hope smiles sheepishly. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Salvatore School doesn’t allow us to have our own cell phones.”

Maya’s eyes widen a little. “Really? Wow. What is this, the 60s?”

“They think it distracts from what’s really important. Plus everyone lives on campus sooo if you need to talk to someone, you go to their room. Face to face social interaction and all that.” she teases.

“Huh. But you have landlines right?” Hope nods. “So giving Ethan and I a call sometime isn’t an insane concept?” 

Hope laughs. “Look, I’m sorry for being MIA, there’s just been a lot going on recently…”

“Oo, do tell?” Just then the ref blows the whistle, calling for the players to take their positions. 

“Tell me later, yeah?” Maya gives her a friendly push. “Now time to beat your sorry asses.” 

“Fat chance.” Hope grins back, until she sees Josie watching their interaction with a raised eyebrow.

Maya follows her eye line. “Now there’s someone whose ass I’m actually going to beat.” Her tone is dark, bitter. It worries Hope a little.

“Josie?”

“Is that her name? Can’t stand her. Remember how awful she was at the last game?”

Hope feels uncomfortable. “Yeah, but…”

“And I’m _sure_ she had something to do with Ethan getting injured, something inside me just knows it.”

Hope forces out a nervous laugh. “Come on Maya, thought you said no one was near him at the time. He just threw it wrong.”

Maya whips around to snap at her. “Ethan doesn’t throw any ball _wrong._ ” At Hope’s surprised face she takes a breath. “Sorry. It’s just I feel it in my gut, something’s not right about her. And I know she’s the headmaster’s daughter, and has a face that looks like it could do no wrong so she won’t _ever_ be questioned, but–”

“Girls! Positions!” The ref shouts directly to them. With a concerned glance at Maya, Hope jogs to her place on the field.

“Sorry that the game is interrupting your _chat_.” Josie snarks at her.

“She was one of my only friends at Mystic High, I’m going to talk to her.” Hope shoots back. 

“Well your _friend_ has a serious staring problem.” 

Hope glances over to Maya and well, if looks could kill, Josie would be dead right now. Although, Josie’s giving Maya a run for her money.

The game begins with Josie throwing the ball backwards into Hope’s hands. Hope has barely started to run with it when she hears an annoyed and slightly pained shout alongside the sound of bodies hitting the grass. Maya has tackled Josie and lies heavily on top of her as the girl wriggles to get up. 

“Get _off_ me, I didn’t even have the ball! That’s a foul.” 

The ref blows his whistle and tells them to separate. “No tackles! This is flag football - keep it clean!”

They take the play again and this time Maya holds back. Hope throws it to MG who throws it to Raf, who is immediately plagued by two Mystic High players so he chucks it quickly to Josie. 

As soon as she catches the ball, Maya tackles her from behind, sending her flying face first into the mud. The ball rolls across the ground and is snatched up by a Mystic High boy. Hope runs over and sees Maya push Josie’s face into the mud, hissing: “That’s for my brother.”

Josie, who is unfortunately pretty defenceless without anything to siphon from, attempts to kick at Maya’s back, but isn’t having much luck in removing her. Hope grabs Maya’s jersey, jerking her off Josie who she’s worried could be suffocating. “Maya! Lay off her will you!”

Maya turns to her, quickly masking her anger with an expression of false amusement. “It’s just a little mud, Hope.”

Hope stares at her. “I mean it, Maya. You’ve had your revenge, now _leave it_.”

“No, actually, I really haven’t.” She holds Hope’s eyes before turning and walking away. By this time, Josie has pulled herself up. Her whole front and face is covered in wet streaks of mud, and there’s a cut on her lip.

Hope approaches her. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Josie replies shortly, attempting to wipe some of the mud off her face with her shirt, but not being able to find a clean spot to do so. 

“But, your lip...” Hope reaches out unthinkingly to touch it, but Josie turns her head. 

“It’s fine, I just bit it going down.”

Hope sighs. “Here, at least let me…” Grabbing Josie by the arm so she can’t move away, she uses the sleeve of her undershirt to wipe away the worst of the mud. Josie’s cheeks are soft and pillowy, kind of like a baby’s, and Hope smiles at the fact. It’s when she moves to clean her nose that she realises how close they’re standing, Josie’s breath creating little puffs of tangible clouds in the crisp, late October air between them. She looks up and meets impenetrable, dark eyes. Josie watches her for a second, almost wary, before she steps back, glancing at something, or _someone_ , over Hope’s shoulder.

“Josie!” Landon calls, coming to a stop beside them and breathing heavily. “Are you alright? I don’t know what that girl’s problem is.” He looks genuinely very concerned, his eyes running across Josie’s body in rapid, swivelling movements. 

He sees her lip and his dark eyebrows pull together. “Ouch.” He steps forward and ever so gently moves his thumb across it, catching a drop of blood. The motion is so natural, and Josie is so _allowing_ of it, keeping her head still, that Hope feels her stomach clench. In annoyance? Jealousy? _Longing_? She’s not sure.

Josie’s eyes have softened as she looks wistfully at Landon. He gives her one of his famous half smiles. “That bitch.” He whispers. Josie laughs lowly in response. 

In some perturbing way, Hope feels like she’s watching an intimate moment. She clears her throat. Josie’s head whips around first to meet her eyes– there’s a mix of guilt and defiance in them. Landon is slower, and he smiles at Hope. “Well Jo, at least you had Hope here to defend you. No one dares challenge her.” He steps away from Josie and closer to Hope.

“I don’t need defending.” Josie retorts, before walking back to her position.

The rest of the game is less dramatic, but Maya manages to get in a few more shoves and trips of Josie for good measure. Miraculously, Josie keeps her temper. They lose to Mystic High 35-22: a pretty pathetic attempt overall.

At the end of the game they all trudge back to the school. MG, ever the mood lifter, suggests they all shower and meet in the kitchen for hot chocolate. There’s a general chorus of agreement and smiles as people split to go warm up. 

Hope turns to Landon and wraps her arms around his waist. “So, want to go take a shower?”

It’s almost magic how quickly his cheeks flush red. “Uh, what? Really? I, um, I mean yeah–”

Hope laughs. “Kidding, Landon. Don’t have a meltdown.” She pinches his cheek. “It wouldn’t exactly be very sexy with all this mud on us. Maybe, at some point though…” 

“Definitely. Yes. I am so down for that.” He nods several times. 

***

Later everyone, even Lizzie (who seems to be feeling a bit better), gathers together for hot chocolate. The kitchen is toasty and Hope’s pyjamas are clean and soft. All in all, she is feeling pretty happy. There’s one person missing though, and her absence lingers in Hope.

“I can’t _believe_ Maya! What, was Dana’s old spot as top Mystic High bitch available so she took her place?” Lizzie exclaims after hearing all about the game.

“It was like she had a personal vendetta against Josie or something,” MG shrugs. “Hope sorted her out though.” He grins, nudging her. 

Hope rolls her eyes playfully, not saying anything. As Lizzie presses MG for more details she slips quietly away.

Josie takes a while to come to the door, so much so that Hope wonders if maybe she isn't there.

“Hope.” is all Josie says when she sees her.

“You didn’t want hot chocolate?” is all Hope can think to say back.

Josie shrugs. “I might get some in a bit. I’m just too tired for social interaction, you know?”

Hope nods, fully understanding what that feels like. She’s not exactly a people person herself. 

There’s a pause. “Can I come in?” Hope finally asks in a gentle exhale. 

Josie looks unsure suddenly. “I guess.” She doesn’t open the door wider though so Hope pushes it herself.

Josie has lit several candles and turned off all the lights except her bedside one, casting the room in a comforting yet oddly eery, golden glow. 

Hope fiddles with the leaf of a small potted plant, back to Josie, as she speaks. “I didn’t like seeing you get hurt today.”

Silence. Then a sigh. “Why do you care so much, Hope?”

Surprised, Hope turns to meet Josie’s questioning eyes. “Because, you matter to me Josie. I thought we built a bond last year. I consider you my best friend.”

“I thought that was Landon, or Raf.”

“Landon’s my boyfriend, not my best friend,” She hastily moves on as Josie frowns and looks down. “And Raf, well...yes, we were good friends at one point. He’s nice but, I always thought _we_ had more in common. Kind of like we were in tune with one another.” Josie bites her lip, still staring at the carpet. “Anyway, Raf is getting on my nerves lately.”

At that Josie looks up curiously. “It doesn’t matter why right now. I guess what I’m trying to say, what I already said the other day, is that I _miss you_ Josie, so much. Please can we be friends again?”

Josie pulls at the sleeves of her sweater, looking conflicted. Then she whispers: “I just can’t right now, Hope. I can’t be around the two of you. Please understand that.”

Hope swallows a sudden surging need to cry, forcing it back down her throat. She nods. “Yeah, okay.” She murmurs. “Yeah.” She walks to the door, feeling Josie’s large eyes on her.

Before she leaves she pauses, and without turning around speaks so quietly that she wonders if Josie can even hear her. “Just, let me know, please, when you’re ready.”

Then she goes, wilfully ignoring Josie’s pressing silence behind her.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two; let me know if you enjoyed:)
> 
> I don't know anything about American football so couldn't use any specific terms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in Landon's POV, which I surprisingly really enjoyed writing. I just want to stress again how slow burn this fic is, and that its an exploration of all three relationships as I think they are much more complexly intertwined than the show gives credit for. its important to me to flesh out all parts of a universe, including relationships with other characters. if you are only here for constant hosie then this fic is probably not for you :) 
> 
> enjoy!

“Watch out–”

“Oww!” The basketball hits Landon hard in the side of the head, knocking his slim frame onto the concrete like a bowling pin. MG runs over as Landon attempts to sit up, a ringing sound reverberating around his head. 

“I’m sorry man, I thought you knew it was coming, I mean, you were looking in my direction!” 

Landon blinks, leaning back on his hands and waiting for a mild burst of nausea to pass before responding. “Sorry. My head was elsewhere.”

“Well, physically it wasn’t, unfortunately for you.” MG jokes, before helping Landon up. “Damn, you went down hard man. Need to get some muscle on that body.”

“You’re one to talk, you bag of bones.” Landon shoots back, touching the side of his head to find a swollen lump already forming. “Fuck sake. I’m gonna look so dumb.”

“Just adding to the collection.” MG says, pointedly. Landon is a known clutz, bruises littering his legs, fingers covered in paper cuts and slices from knives slipping when his mind wanders. 

Landon lets out a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Josie’s the same, you should have seen the two of us in the summer.” He grins, a memory clearly flickering behind his eyes. “This one time when we were on the dock, she swore she could do the perfect somersault. She miscalculates the length of the dock and ends up somersaulting into the water, smashing her leg on the way in.” He mimics the action with his hands enthusiastically. “I had to carry her all the way back to the school.”

MG is listening with a smile playing across his lips, but at the last sentence he raises a disbelieving eyebrow. “ _You_ carried her?”

“Hey! Enough with the jabs. Anyway, Jo weighs like, nothing, literally. She hardly eats. She did bleed all over my favourite jeans though – they still have a bloodstain on them, though it’s kinda faint now…” He trails off, suddenly becoming self conscious in a way that MG has seen many times.

“So. I’m going to take a not-so-wild guess and say that’s what you were thinking about when I got you in the head with a b-ball?”

“Josie?”

“Girl trouble. Plural.”

Landon sighs and goes to fetch the ball rather than answer the question. MG waits patiently as he throws it at the hoop, missing. 

“It’s just, I've somehow managed to lose both of them, you know?”  
  


MG says nothing, but inclines his head to encourage Landon to keep talking. Landon picks up the ball and starts bouncing it, seeming to need the distraction as he talks a bit awkwardly. 

“I’m back with Hope, but it’s like she’s not even there at the moment. I don’t know what happened after the football game – she won’t talk about it – but I think she went to speak to Josie... _again._ Last time was a fail and it seems like this time was too.” He throws the ball to MG who catches it easily. 

“And she’s mad?” He throws the ball back.

“I think she’s hurt. But it’s manifesting in this, this...” He chucks the ball and tries to express his point with his hands. “ _Defensiveness._ She’s put up her walls again.”

MG twirls the basketball between his fingers thoughtfully. “Do the walls ever really come down though? I mean, I love the girl but major props to you for dating her, man.” Landon frowns. “What I mean is, she’s smoking, and badass, but so...closed off. It’s hard to even get a smile out of her sometimes.” 

Landon sighs. “She’s lost a lot. It’s protection for herself. Don’t become reliant on someone, don’t let them see you because the more they do the harder it will be to lose them.”

“I don’t know man. What happened to her was terrible, but most of the people in this place have lost something. My dad hates what I am, my mom betrayed me. Your mom abandoned you as a baby, your dad is freaking _Malivore_ , the twins had to siphon the life right out of their bio-mom...do you know how long Josie was screwed up over that?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“At the end of the day, you can’t let fear of losing someone stop you from loving. And out of all the people to date, she’s dating a damn Phoenix, you literally can’t die!”

Landon stares at the ground.

“I’m not trying to be harsh on Hope,” MG relents a bit. “But the girl’s gotta let you in. And if she won’t, you have to talk to her about it.”

“I’m just scared.” Landon murmurs. 

“Of what, man?” 

“Of pushing her too far, of her getting mad and dumping me.” He scuffs the ground with his sneaker. “Like, one day she’s gonna wake up and realise that she’s too good for me. That I’m a short, nerdy, virgin loser and she’ll be like, _wait, why the hell am I with this guy?_ I don’t need to help her get there faster!” 

“Landon…” MG says softly, sounding sympathetic and kinda worried. “Look, I’m about to give you some hard truths here. Hope isn’t perfect– she’s far from it. And you shouldn’t spend every moment of a relationship thinking the other person is too good for you! It isn’t healthy. Maybe you and Hope aren’t–”  
  


Landon stiffens, looking up at MG with hard eyes. “Hope is meant for me.” He interjects. “I will do anything I can to keep her. I just need to sort this stuff out with Josie and then everything can go back to normal.”  
  


He turns around and stalks off the court. MG yells after him. “Right, and what exactly _is_ normal between you three?”

  
  


***

  
  


Landon goes to take a shower, examining his head in the mirror first. The egg is now an ugly purple-blue colour and very sore to the touch. It’s a Saturday morning and no one else is up yet so he has the bathroom to himself. He drops his towel and examines his body. He’s so pale, ghostly almost, which makes the dark hair on his body stand out all the more starkly. His body is lean, the outline of his ribs protruding with the rise of his chest. But, he’s by no means skeletal, and recently he’s been working out more.

_Get some muscle –_ you _get some muscle you twig._

He steps into the shower and lets the burning water wash away some of his frustration. After years of living in and out of foster homes, hot water that doesn’t run out is a novelty that will never wear off.

Back in his room he creeps around, dressing quietly. It’s 9:30am and Rafael is still fast asleep, snoring incessantly. His long body is drooped across the bed, feet sticking out the end of his duvet. Many nights of restless sleep due to Raf’s snoring came to an end this semester after Landon joked about it to Josie in the summer. She spelled some earbuds to be completely soundproof and now he sleeps like a baby. Only problem is that he can’t hear an alarm either, so unless Raf remembers to wake him up, he’s late for morning class. 

The sun filters through the blinds in slotted lines of warmth as he finishes dressing in a long sleeved red top and faded blue jeans (bloodstain and all). It illuminates his bruised head in the mirror and he curses internally all over again. Why does he have to be so easily distracted? Hope will be frustrated when she sees it, already thinking he’s a careless idiot a lot of the time. He's just going to have to take the disapproval. Unless…

No. She doesn’t want to see him. 

But then again, he does need to try and fix things between them at some point.

Summoning some courage, he heads in the direction of the library.

***

He finds her in her usual spot, deep in a book. She’s laid across the cushioned bench, dressed in a soft looking, thin, grey sweater, flared sleeves pooling over her hands, and mom jeans. Her feet are donned in fluffy socks and her hair is pushed back by a headband. He takes a second to appreciate the way the sun catches the pretty lighter streaks within her locks, and the peacefulness of her expression. Something in his chest loosens at the familiar sight.

“Hey, Jose.” He says softly, so as not to startle her. She’s startled anyway, dropping her book and whipping her head around. 

“Landon?” Her voice is pitched with surprise. “Uh, why are you here?”

He steps into the light a little hesitantly. “Just coming to find the only other person ever up at 9 on a Saturday morning. This school is like a graveyard I swear.”

She smiles sweetly before her eyes focus upon the side of his head. She’s up in an instant, knocking the book so it tumbles to the ground, pages splayed. “What the hell happened to your head?” Long, delicate fingers probe the lump gently. 

“Ow!” 

“Sorry!” 

“I was playing some basketball with MG this morning, training a bit so we can pose some kind of threat against Raf,” Josie rolls her eyes. “And I got distracted, so…”

“So ball in head.” She tuts. “This is pretty nasty. How much does it hurt?”

“Quite a bit…” He admits. “When I bend over it hurts like hell.” Josie is taller than Hope, only an inch or two shorter than himself, so her eyes are almost level to his own. He catches her blended look of worry and amusement, and feels his heart clench. It’s so familiar. The two of them had become so close over a short but intense period of time, bonding over a combination of light summer fun and offloading anxieties. He misses confiding in her.

“I was hoping you could lend me one of your magical, herbal blend things.” He asks. Josie was big into her botanics, and especially interested in their potential healing powers.

“Of course.” She steps back and picks up her book. Seeing it, he’s reminded of something. 

“Hey, I finished _To Kill a Mockingbird_ by the way!” 

“Oh yeah?” She smiles. “And?”

“You were right, it’s awesome. Different from _Lord of the Rings_ of course, but I guess expanding my genre preferences is a good thing after all.”

“Told you.” She remarks smugly as they start to walk out of the library and towards her bedroom. 

He jabs her in the ribs. “Don’t let your head get too big, it won’t fit through the door.” 

“Blah, blah.” They reach her bedroom and she tells him to wait a second. He does so very willingly, not wanting to face Lizzie in the morning. She opens the door and peers inside before pushing it open fully. “Looks like Lizzie has gone for a shower. Or maybe breakfast. Come in.”

The curtains are fully open in here, bathing the room in golden. It’s messy, more so on Lizzie’s side but Josie’s is fairly chaotic too. Open spell books litter the floor around her bed. Josie is like a sponge, constantly looking to learn more about magic. Most impressive in the room is her vast collection of plants in front of the window. It’s from there that she picks up a vial filled with a green looking substance. 

“This one I think I’ve almost perfected. It should at least shrink it by around 75-80%. Much better than the last time we tried.” She opens the vial and Landon’s nose is hit by a pleasant earthy smell. She dips her finger in before stepping closer to him again. 

“This will probably sting the cut at first, then tingle as it starts to shrink the swelling.” Time seems to pause for a tentative moment as she layers the bump in thick cream. He can smell her faint perfume. At one moment she leans closer to examine her work and her cheek brushes his. He swallows.

Then it’s over. She steps away, puts the topper on the vial and turns back to her plants. He thinks he sees her exhale heavily but he isn’t sure. He goes to examine his head in the floor length mirror.

“Oh, wow.” The lump is already deflating, and is no longer so sore to the touch. “Josie this is incredible, when did you get the ingredients so right?”

“I’ve had more time to myself these past few weeks so…” He swivels to face her and she’s smiling weakly at him, fiddling with the sleeves of her sweater.

“Right.” He responds awkwardly, his happiness from a moment ago expired. “Well, you did a great job.”

“Thanks.” He can feel her distancing herself a little so he steps forward hurriedly. 

“Come with me to get some breakfast?”

“Oh, I don’t know..” 

“Please?”

She looks at him curiously for a second, as if trying to figure out what he really wants. Then she nods and he feels his shoulders sag in relief. 

“Let’s go before Raf eats it all.”

***

  
  


He realises he’s probably made a mistake when he sees Hope sitting at the breakfast table. She’s wearing a button up purple top and her hair is damp from what was probably a post-training shower. It’s not usual for her to sit in the breakfast hall on Saturdays. Usually she prefers to grab something and head up to her room to paint. He supposes that particular sanctuary has been ruined for her by Alyssa Chang.

Hope catches sight of them almost immediately, her eyes finding Josie’s first. There’s an unspoken accusation in them and Josie stiffens beside him.

“Maybe I should…”

“No,” Landon says hurriedly. “Things will never get better if we’re always avoiding each other.”

Josie looks unconvinced, her eyes swaying longingly towards where Lizzie chats with MG across the hall. “I’m really not in the mood to play house with the happy couple. And it looks like Hope’s in agreement with me on that one.” She nods to where Hope is still sending stoic glances their way as they get their food. 

Landon sees through the bitter tone easily to the sadness beneath. “Look, I know Hope can be intimidating, but–”

“I am _not_ intimidated by Hope.” Josie snaps, and to Landon’s surprise he realises she’s telling the truth. Most people who say that are putting up a front. Hell, _he’s_ even a bit scared of Hope. 

It seems the suggestion of fear is enough to propel Josie over the where Hope sits, chewing viciously on a piece of toast. She takes a seat opposite her, and Landon more slowly takes the one beside Hope, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Morning, you two.” Hope directs this sugar sweet greeting, dripping in venom, at Josie who rolls her eyes. “And what have you guys been up to?”  
  


There’s a pause as Josie spoons cornflakes into her mouth in response. Landon jumps in.

“I ran into Josie in the library and we walked to breakfast together.” He supplies, leaving out some of the truth.

“The library?” Hope asks, scrunching her nose suspiciously. 

“Yeah, it’s where the books live. Have you heard of it?” Josie asks.

“I have, thank you Josie. Just last I checked, Landon doesn’t spend much time there.” She turns to look at him for the first time that morning. Her tone is suspicious. He shrugs. 

“I was, uh, taking back a book that Jo recommended. She likes to read there on weekend mornings. We got to chatting and thought we might as well head to breakfast together. How was training with Dr Saltzman?” 

His attempt to change the subject goes ignored. Hope turns back to Josie. “You _got to chatting_?” 

Josie shrugs. “Yeah.”

Landon looks between the two, seeing a myriad of emotions flash through their eyes. The accusation is firmly back in Hope’s, and Josie seems to waver for a second. Then she settles on defiance. Hope leans forward, and for a second Landon is afraid she’s going to burn holes through Josie with how hard she’s staring.

“And how come,” she grits out, “ _Landon_ gets to chat with you, when I’m stuck with the cold shoulder?”

A stronger man would have shuddered under the look Josie Saltzman was receiving right now. 

Instead, she leans back, breaking the intense bubble between them and keeping eye contact as she picks up her bag. “I’m going to go sit with Lizzie.” Is all she says, leaving her half eaten bowl sitting morosely on the table. “Have a nice day, both of you.”

Hope watches her walk away with a strange mix of fury, hurt and something Landon can’t quite make out– possessiveness? Determination? 

  
All he knows are two things: That went terribly. And Hope Mikaelson _really_ hates being ignored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you thought! also, anyone else here that thought jandon were actually really sweet on the show?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while. This is a much longer chapter to make up for it! xo

_Humiliated_ would probably best describe the way Hope is feeling right now. The past week she has been giving Josie the space she asked for, focusing instead on trying to settle back into life as a Salvatore student again. So to see her chumming it up with Landon when she would barely glance her way was a low blow for her ego, and, if she was to reluctantly admit it, her feelings. 

With the portal now closed by Clarke, things have been relatively calm around the school. In other words, Hope has had nothing to distract herself anymore from dealing with what has occured the past few months of her life. 

Clarke’s death was a strange moment for her, both cathartic and oddly upsetting. She hated the guy: he was completely untrustworthy and had manipulated Josie to do awful things. But he wasn’t evil. The fact was she spent several months of her life trapped in a dark manifestation of absence, surrounded by the forgotten monstrosities of the world, with only Clarke as remotely sane company.

She uses the word _sane_ very loosely. 

He’d been there to watch out while she tried to get some sleep, speak to her so she didn’t go utterly mad, and keep the mood fairly lighthearted. Arguing with him had been a good distraction from the fear of never escaping. 

“So you miss him?” Landon asks, confused as she tries to explain this. They’re lying side by side on his bed.

“No, I don’t _miss_ him. It’s just...people are never one thing, I guess.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Landon smiles at her, using his forefinger to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’m just happy to have you in my arms. Sometimes it’s as if you’re always elsewhere.”

“Yeah…” Hope replies guiltily. “There’s just been a lot going on.”

“I know.” Landon’s mouth curves in a half smile. “I get it. You’re _Hope Mikaelson_. I’m never going to question your motives for anything.”

She smiles weakly.

Landon takes the moment to move forward and press his pillowy lips against hers. It’s nice, with the sun playing across her face and the peaceful quiet of the bedroom, she feels almost content for the first time in a while. She rolls on top of Landon and presses harder into his mouth, prying it open and licking into it. He groans appreciatively and she smirks, running her fingers through his curly hair. She knows she’s a great kisser. 

Landon is happy to let her take the lead, his fingers splayed at her back delicately as if he’s afraid to hold her too hard. She sits up for a second on his hips as he catches his breath. She’s about to lean back in when she realises she’s now eye level with a photo of Josie. He still hadn’t taken down those damn photos. 

She has a pressing thought that forces its way out of her throat before she can stop it. 

“Is Josie a good kisser?”

“What?” The excitement that was very present in Landon’s eyes flickers to confusion.

“You heard me.”

“Uh. Why are you asking me that?” She stares down at him. He sighs and attempts to sit up, but is still held down in a way that’s quickly changing from sexy to vaguely threatening. “Hope, c’mon.” 

“Your reluctance to answer the question is making this worse.” 

“Fine! Yes, Josie is a good kisser. Of course she is.”

Hope bristles. “Of course?”

“Well, I just mean, that’s what people say.”

“ _Who says?_ ”  
  


He flounders for a few seconds. “Raf! He’s kissed both the twins and he says Josie’s the better kisser.”

“And what about you?”  
  


“ _I_ haven’t kissed Raf.”

She wants to slam her head against the wall.  
  


“Is she a better kisser than me?”

“I never said that...”

“Well?”

“What?”  
  


She glares at him and now he looks a bit nervous. “ _Am I_ a better kisser?”  
  


His eyes flick to the side and he nibbles his lower lip. “You both kiss differently. Everyone kisses differently, well I’ve only actually kissed four girls but they all were different.”

His rambling might usually be endearing but right now she’s just frustrated with his inability to say the words she wants to hear. Also, there’s a part of her that really wants to press this and she doesn’t know why.

  
“Different how?”

“You want me to describe the way Josie kisses?” Her stomach clenches strangely.

“Yes.” His eyes widen. He was clearly joking but she wants to know.

“If this is your idea of foreplay…”

“Tell me and I’ll show you my idea of foreplay.”

He inhales sharply at that comment. Excitement is back in his eyes, blending with the confusion. 

“Uh, okay. Okay. Well, I guess the way you kiss me feels confident and smooth.” He blushes, unable to meet her eyes. “It’s like you know you have me so you’re not in any rush. And you _clearly_ know what you're doing.” She allows herself a flicker of a smile at the compliment. 

“Josie,” His eyes have lost focus now, as if he’s submerged in a memory, which she supposes he is. “Josie kisses like she’s trying to give herself to you, share a breath, move with you so you don’t separate from her. It’s like, there’s always a hint of desperation: a _don’t leave me_.” His face clouds over. “Which I guess I still did.”

The mood has been killed now. Hope moves off of Landon and neither of them speak for a few minutes. 

  
For once she’s thankful to receive a text on her official school assigned cellphone. Alaric gave it to her to communicate with him on pressing or urgent situations. 

“Dr Saltzman needs me in his office. I’ll catch you later okay?”

He nods, distracted.

She leaves, thinking about what it must feel like to kiss like you’re trying to mould your body with another’s. 

***

She reaches Alaric’s office and finds the twins already in there. Lizzie seems to be attempting a freezing spell on an hourglass looking object with swirling blackness inside and Josie is slumped in a chair looking disheartened. Alaric is frowning behind his desk.

“Hope. How are you?”

She shrugs. “Not terrible.”

“What a cheery way of putting things.” Lizzie ribs, but playfully.

Josie doesn’t acknowledge her, much like in the dining room earlier.

“What’s that?” Hope nods towards the hourglass as Lizzie sighs and puts it down. It immediately returns to the colour black. 

“That,” Alaric replies. “Is a culmination of Josette’s mistakes.” His voice is reprimanding, but not too severe.

Hope flicks her eyes to Josie who isn’t looking at anyone, preferring instead to swing back and forth on the desk chair, avoiding all eye contact.

“It’s a Mora Miserium, or as we like to call it, a Sandclock. It contains all the black magic that Josie’s been using under the guide of Vardemus, or Clarke, as we now know.”

“Why is it in there?”

Alaric stares at Josie in response, until eventually she sighs and looks up at Hope. “When I performed those spells I would feel really ill. Heavy, weak, drained. Especially after the Japanese purging spell I performed on Lizzie.” Lizzie is watching Josie talk with sad eyes. “I told Vardemus and he gave me the Sandclock. Touching it brought so much relief that I just kept doing it after every dark spell I performed.”

“Now,” Alaric takes over. “There’s a really dangerous amount of dark magic in there. If it breaks, it will all hit Josie at once.” 

Hope’s breath feels caught and she steps forward anxiously. “Shouldn’t we be keeping it locked up somewhere, with a protection spell around it? If someone knocks it over…” She’s holding eye contact with Josie as she says this, imagining all the terrible things that could happen. Josie’s eyes soften for a second. 

“Don’t worry, Hope, we do. We’ve only been taking it out these past few days to try various spells on it.” Alaric responds calmly. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Hope can’t hide the hurt in her voice, directing her question at Josie.

She shrugs. “I didn’t want everyone knowing about it.”  
  


 _Since when was I everyone?_ Hope chooses not to voice that thought.

“So,” She forces herself to move on as Lizzie frowns at the two of them. “I’m guessing this is what you asked me here for?”

“Actually, no.” Alaric replies. “But if you have any suggestions or spells, I’m all ears.”

Hope is confused and a little worried. “Then what?”

  
Alaric sighs. “It seems our attempt to close the portal didn’t work.”

“You’re _kidding_ me.” Hope feels like screaming. She almost died trying to make that plan work. 

“There was an incident earlier. A large creature, we are thinking a Troll or Ogre, attacked the kids while they were gardening with Emma.”

“Emma’s back?”  
  


“ _That’s_ what you’re taking from that sentence?” Lizzie asks.

Hope shakes her head minutely, refocusing on the problem at hand. “So, what happened? Did you catch it?”

“No, but luckily, Josie was there.”

Hope glances at her. “What were you doing in a Primary school gardening class on a Saturday?”

Josie shrugs, blushing almost imperceptibly. “I like plants, ok?”

“The kids love her as well.” Alaric says, smiling fondly. “For good reason too. Josie was a quick thinker, casting a protection spell over the kids and sending a particularly explosive offensive spell at the creature. Emma was able to get them all inside, unharmed.”

Hope feels a burst of admiration for the girl. “Well done, Jo. Are you okay?”

Josie is blushing properly now under all the attention. “I’m fine. It was huge, the spell only caused it to stumble back a few feet. I think it was confused more than anything. It’ll be back.”

“Where did it go?”

“Into the forest. This was about 40 minutes ago.”

So while she’d been making out with Landon, kids were almost dying. 

“So what’s the plan?”

At this, Lizzie rolls her eyes, turning to face her dad. “ _Dad_ thinks we should all just stay put and wait, like sitting ducks.”

“We need to work out what it is exactly, do some research before we go charging after it.”

“Josie says it’s an Ogre!”

“It went after the kids, it makes sense.” Josie says. “Everyone knows Ogres go for the most vulnerable, it’s what all the fairytales say.”

“We’ll keep the kids inside.” Alaric responds.

“For how long? They’re going to need exercise at some point and we don’t know how long it’ll take for the Ogre to come back!” Lizzie is clearly exasperated.

“For however long is necessary.” Alaric sounds like he’s done with the conversation. “Now girls, you’re welcome to stay and help Dorian and I with research. Otherwise, I’ll let you know what we’ve found out in due course.” 

It’s a clear _get out_ , if Hope’s ever heard one.

Once outside the office the girls convene. 

“I don’t like this.” Josie shakes her head. “We don’t know what the monster wants. It’s not like when we had the artifacts, and it’s clearly not after Landon. What if it goes towards a human school?”

Hope frowns. That was a good point. “You’re right. We don’t have the time to wait around.”

Lizzie huffs. “Yeah, hello? Exactly what I’ve been saying.”

***

They call a meeting of the supersquad. 

“So it’s decided,” MG says, somewhat gleefully. “Camping trip!”

“This isn’t Boy Scouts, MG.” Hope says, rolling her eyes.

“C’mon Hope, we might as well make it fun.” MG whines.

“We are only bringing the tents as a precaution, _just in case_ we don’t catch the Ogre before dark.”

MG slumps back next to Raf who pats him on the shoulder.

“Can we bring marshmallows?” Josie asks, to Hope’s surprise. She, Josie, Lizzie and Landon were all squashed on to one couch; Raf, MG and Jed on the other. Kaleb’s Grandma wasn’t well so he’d gone home for the weekend.

Josie had explained the Ogre situation at the start and the boys had listened, nodding along, but since then she’d been quiet as the details of their plan were worked out.

Hope had been hyper aware of the girl sitting next to her, shoulder to shoulder, and of the fact that the two of them were still on thin ice right now. Josie’s moods towards her were all over the place.

Hope tilts her head slightly to catch her eye. She raises an eyebrow in question but Josie just raises one back. “Yeah sure, why not?”

“What about sausages?” MG says eagerly, almost bouncing in his seat. Josie wrinkles her nose.

“No. Now, MG, Raf, you gather a couple of tents and stuff, you know where they’re at. Everyone else, pack a rucksack with some snacks and water.” Hope glances out the window where thick raindrops have started to fall. “Oh and, wear a raincoat.”

Lizzie follows her gaze out the window, face falling. “Oh, great!”

***

They all meet outside the school. Luckily, because of the attack, there’s no one around. Alaric and Dorian are busy with their noses in books. Lizzie and Josie left a note in their room explaining what they’d all gone to do. By the time Alaric read it, it’d be too late to stop them.

The plan was: track Ogre, kill Ogre before it kills any kids.

Jed and Raf, as the biggest, are designated tent carriers. Jed laughs when Josie offers to carry one, pinching one of her biceps.

“When was the last time you lifted a weight?”

Josie huffs but smiles, choosing not to answer. Hope narrows her eyes at them. 

“I can always take over if it gets too much for you, Jed?”

The boy rolls his shoulders back, offended. “Don’t worry about that Mikaelson.”

“How bout we all get going then?”

They start trudging into the forest. MG, in his excitement, struggles to slow his pace down for the rest of them. Lizzie is quite the power walker, leading the group with him and getting very into the role. Josie and Landon are by far the slowest.

It’s obvious what direction to go in, the Ogre had trampled every plant and small tree in his path.

“So, how do we kill this thing exactly?” Hope hears Landon ask Josie, his voice slightly out of breath.

“Well Ogres are basically huge, ugly humans that eat kids and smell really bad.”

“So…?”

“So a stab through the heart or brain should do it.”

“Nice. Do we have anything–” Hope holds up a huge dagger she’d brought with her. “–I guess we do.” He chuckles.

The rain has let up a little, but the forest still feels heavy around them, trees hanging their limbs in fatigue. The forest floor is squelchy and slippy with wet mud. Hope comes to an abrupt stop at the top of a steep decline they’d been walking parallel to for a while now. It leads down towards a stream. She hears Josie yelp and turns to see Landon catch her as she slides forward. One of her knees still ends up in the mud and she sends Hope a mild glare. 

“Thanks for the warning!”

“Oops.”

Lizzie, who has powered ahead with MG, chatting nonsensically, realises no one is following her.

“Why have you stopped? Come on troops, progress cannot halt!”

“Calm down Sergeant.” Hope rolls her eyes. She points to the large footprints heading down the slope. “It must have crossed the stream at the bottom.”

Josie has carefully pushed her way to the front of the group. She looks over Hope’s shoulder, resting her chin there momentarily. “Looks steep.” She sounds nervous. Hope smiles.

“Yeah well, you and Lando the slug have held us back enough already,” Lizzie says. “We’re not wasting time finding another way down.” Josie gasps, affronted, moving her head off Hope’s shoulder to give Lizzie a dirty look. Landon gives a weak “Hey!” from the back of the group.

“Lizzie, chill. It _is_ pretty steep.” Hope mediates.

“So Jed and Raf can carry those two down.” Lizzie rolls her eyes. 

Jed shrugs. “I don’t mind.”

“Of course you don’t.” Hope snarks. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Everyone shut up!” Josie says, exasperated. “I can take my damn self down, as can Landon, we’re not invalids. We just have to take it slow and steady–”

A shriek pierces the air. Tired of waiting, Lizzie had shoved past Hope to start heading down. Unsurprisingly, she had lost her footing on the mud.

She was now shooting down the hill at high speed on her butt.

“ _Oh_ my god.” Hope says. They all watch, too shocked to do anything.

Lizzie attempts to twist, grasping at a loose root from a tree. She can’t get a grip and ends up going the rest of the way down on her stomach, a face full of mud. She hits the stream at the bottom with a slosh and screams again as ice cold water slaps her body.

It all happens very fast. Hope turns to Josie and sees her mouth is gaped open like she hasn’t quite comprehended what just occurred. It makes her let out a sudden burst of laughter. Josie hears her and meets her eye. Her mouth twitches and then she too starts laughing. 

“Somebody _help_ me!” Lizzie screeches. “MG! _”_

MG comes to his senses and is down the slope in a flash, helping Lizzie out of the stream. 

Josie and Hope are gasping with the force of their laughter now, and Raf and Jed have joined in. 

Landon is grinning. “She kinda deserved that.” He comments. 

Between giggles Josie nods. “Definitely.”

  
  


***

The Lizzie incident slows them down and around two hours later with no Ogre in sight they set up camp. 

“I can smell it, faintly.” Hope says as the boys argue over the tents. “But the wind is making it hard to tell what direction it’s coming from.”

Landon gives up being totally unhelpful with the tents and trots over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Well, when the wind and rain calms down you can locate where it is and we’ll get it. The main thing is it’s still in this forest, so it’s not harming any kids...hopefully.”

Hope nods distractedly, still smelling the air. 

“My feet are still so wet!” Lizzie whines. MG offers to switch shoes with her. Jed and Raf finally get the two tents up and Josie murmurs something about going to get firewood.

It turns out that MG _did_ bring sausages – even a couple of veggie ones for Josie – and Hope is secretly happy about it. Wasting no time, MG shoots around gathering sticks in vampire speed before dumping them in a pile.

“Where’s Jo?” He asks. “She usually likes the fire spells.”

Hope sits up from where she’s perched in Landon’s lap on a tree stump. “She went to get firewood.”  
  


“Oh great.” Lizzie siphons MG for a second and then sends a small burst of fire into the twigs. They flame immediately, beautifully hot. She creates a shield above it to protect it from the rain. “If you’re waiting for her and her five twigs, it’s going to take a while.”

“Well,” MG says, crouched over the fire with his sausages, “By the time she returns there will be some de-licious food for her. Now come put your shoes and socks near the fire, they can dry out.”

They all sit quietly for a bit, enjoying the warmth. It’s past 7:30pm now, darkness unfolding across the sky. Hope feels a little agitated, and keeps missing what Landon says to her. 

“I brought a pack of cards. Anyone game?” Landon finally asks the group, realising Hope is distracted.

Jed and Raf are eager, and even Lizzie nods, much more relaxed now she’s dry again. 

“I’m gonna go find Josie, she might have gotten lost.” Hope says, getting out of Landon’s lap.

“She doesn’t like you coddling her, Hope.” Lizzie remarks, throwing down a card.

“She’s out there with nothing to siphon from.” Hope snaps in response. “But I wouldn’t expect _you_ to be considering that.” She stalks off into the forest, uninterested in whatever reply Lizzie had for her.

The undergrowth is thick and oppressive away from their little clearing, with big wet leaves that slap her in the face. There’s a real feeling of the untouched out here; things that exist beyond the immediate eye– it’s making her uneasy. 

“Jo?” She calls out cautiously. 

“Yeah?” The voice comes from not too far away. Hope’s chest relaxes. She walks towards the voice and finds Josie sitting on a fallen tree trunk by the stream.

“Josie, can you not just go off somewhere without telling anyone?” Hope tries to keep the stress out of her voice but it seeps in, harshening it.

“It’s only been a few minutes.”

“It’s been twenty.” 

Josie doesn’t reply, staring out at something. Hope exhales in a short agitated burst and sits beside her.

“Josie?” She tucks a finger under Josie’s chin and turns her face towards her. “What’s gotten into you?”

Josie narrows her brown eyes, moving her chin away from Hope’s finger. “Nothing, I got distracted by the moon.” 

“I get that a lot.” Hope smiles tentatively. Josie doesn’t smile back.

It’s quiet aside from the murmurings of the forest. Hope’s stomach clenches and unclenches. She hates the way that only Josie makes her feel: off-balance, like she never has the right words to say. Her tongue lies heavy in her mouth. 

It really is a beautiful spot that's has picked out. The moon dances across the water’s surface, illuminating Josie’s face in all its softness. Her mouth is pouty and downturned, her brow furrowed in a way that lets Hope know she’s not relaxed.

“Can I ask you something?” Hope almost whispers.

Josie nods.

“Um,” She clears her throat, suddenly a little nervous. “Why are you not more angry at Landon?” Josie’s eyes flick to look at her. “I mean, you seem so mad at me, and I think you have a right to be but...he’s the one that dumped you.”

Josie doesn’t reply for a while, and Hope almost suffocates in the silence. Then she notes the way Josie is fiddling with the sleeves of her red raincoat. She’s anxious too.

“Im-” Her voice is low, a little crackly. “I’m _hurt_ that Landon didn’t want me. But nothing Landon does is calculated. He acts on instinct, wears his heart on his sleeve. As soon as I remembered you, I _knew_ he would go back to you.” She sighs. Hope kicks a moss covered rock and doesn’t say anything. “Yes, I wish he’d waited a bit longer, at least a week or two. It made me feel very replaceable, but then, I knew it would only be delaying the inevitable.”

Hope is barely breathing, worried about disturbing the delicacy of the moment. Josie is _finally_ opening up to her.

“I was upset about how quickly you two got together. But when I really thought about it, I realised that this anger I’m feeling, it’s at you, Hope,” Hope bites her lip hard. “You came back, you found my dad, you told him your situation. You knew he’d be working towards finding a solution in which we’d all remember you. And yet, you still let me fall more and more for Landon, _knowing_ that as soon as he knew who you were, I’d be dropped in a second.” Her voice is getting louder and Hope gets the sense this is the first time she’s saying any of this to anyone.

“Josie–”

“You say we were best friends?” Josie swivels to look at her. Hope nods. “Then why didn’t you come and tell me who you were?”

“I – I _did_.” 

Josie frowns. “No you didn’t.”  
  


Hope swallows. “The day that I got out of Malivore, I ran, in wolf form obviously, all the way back to Mystic Falls. It was the end of the summer. I got to the school and you and Landon were the first people I wanted to see.” Josie is listening intensely, eyes not leaving her face. “I smelt you both,” she chuckles weakly, “and I thought great, they’re together.” 

Realisation begins to creep onto Josie's face. 

“I think you were having a movie night. I saw you–”

“Hope…”

“–and it was like a punch in the stomach. My best friend with my boyfriend. I was so upset, so betrayed, so incredibly _jealous._ But you both looked _so happy_. Jo, I hadn’t seen you that happy in god knows how long.”

Josie is quiet, staring at the ground. 

“I couldn’t be mad– you didn’t remember me. I knew Landon had always thought you were sweet. But in that moment it just felt like everyone was absolutely fine without me. I almost left town, but then the Cyclops…”

“And after you told my dad?” Josie murmurs.  
  


“Even then, I couldn’t be sure you’d ever remember me. Why ruin something between you two if you never did? And what if I told him, and he didn’t even care?” Hope pauses for a moment, then speaks softer. “You don’t know what it’s like, Josie. To have everyone look at you like you’re a stranger. You start to convince yourself you never had a place in their life to begin with.”

She waits, hoping it’s enough, hoping that Josie will understand and stop shutting her out. 

“I get it, Hope. I still wish you’d told me but, I get it.”

Hope sighs in relief, moving closer on the log to Josie. She takes her hand, playing with the delicate fingers. “I’m sorry that we hurt you.”

Josie interlinks their fingers. “Yeah, same for you.” She seems to think for a second. “What I don’t understand is how you could ever think that Landon wouldn’t care?”

“Maybe he found something more in you.” 

Josie laughs in a short, sad kind of way. “In all the ways I might tick a box of his, you completely overwhelm it. He’d have been filled with joy just at the _idea_ of you loving him. I will never have that effect.”

Hope shakes her head. “Well I don’t understand _that_.” Their bodies are pressed close in the cold, noses almost brushing. “Because everything about you is overwhelming.”

The moon has gone behind a cloud and she can’t really make out much of Josie’s face anymore, just the serious brown of her eyes as she stares at her.

“JOSIE! HOPE!” Lizzie’s loud voice bursts their bubble. “DID THE OGRE GET YOU?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the developments this chapter! Please do leave a comment on what you thought, I like to hear people's opinions and it helps inspire further writing of course.
> 
> p.s hosie is meant to be together and the past two legacies eps only enforced that. I hope to god they don't make Landon and hope both being unconscious some lame 'soulmate thing' as the final part of the prophecy.


	5. Chapter 5

“Come on, we should get back if even Lizzie’s getting worried.” Hope says a bit self-consciously as Josie is still watching her curiously. She turns and shouts back. “No, we’re fine Lizzie!”

Josie nods and stands up, brushing down her butt. They head back to the camp, Josie slipping and sliding all over the place in the freshly wetted mud.

“I’m pretty clumsy.” She admits, cursing as she trips on a fallen branch. Hope grabs her arm and hoists her up again. 

“You don’t say?”  
  


Lizzie is standing with her arms crossed, looking severely displeased. “You give me a hard time about not caring that Josie’s gone awol, and then you disappear too!”  
  


Hope shrugs. Josie answers instead. “We were just talking some stuff through Lizzie. Sorry we worried you.”

Lizzie raises her eyebrows. “You mean, you finally had _the talk_? Halle-fucking-lujah!” Her tone is pretty scathing and Hope can tell she’s still mad about the comment she made to her earlier. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Josie asks. Lizzie just rolls her eyes at her defensive tone and turns around to walk back to camp.

“Come on losers, the sausages are ready.”

Later, they're all sat around the fire, basking in its heat and enjoying the feeling of hot food in their stomachs. Hope feels as though some immense weight has been lifted off her shoulders as she catches Josie’s eye from across the fire and her lips tweak up in a smile. She’s plaiting a petulant Lizzie’s hair. Raf has fallen asleep on the ground, head propped up awkwardly on his balled up raincoat. His snoring is practically vibrating through the campsite. Hope feels bad for Landon having to share a room with him, even though he swears it’s alright with his earplugs. 

“Hey Jose, want this?” Jed offers a nicely crisped marshmallow. Hope’s smile drops. 

“Oh, yeah, thanks.” Josie says sweetly, obviously surprised. Lizzie raises an eyebrow. 

“I’ll have one too, Jed.” He doesn’t look too pleased but goes to make one anyway. Saying no to Lizzie is often more trouble than it’s worth. 

Hope follows Jed’s movements with her eyes, contemplating his potential motives. 

“Hey,” Landon moves closer to murmur in her ear. “Why you looking at Jed like that? Did he do something wrong?” He smells of pine needles and earth.

“Nothing to worry about.” Is all she says, flashing him a quick smile when he lingers, examining her. She puts Jed to the back of her mind as a later problem. Right now she has an Ogre to catch.

It’s getting pretty late and Josie’s eyes have started to droop so Hope stands up resolutely. “Right, everyone should go get some rest. If we do need to fight this thing we need to be full energy. I’ll take first watch,” she walks over and gives Raf a prod with her shoe. “with Raf, since he’s already taken a nap.” Rafael jolts awake and grabs Hope’s leg in shock, pulling her down with a speed that takes her by surprise. She hits the ground on her back, hard. Lizzie lets out a squawk of laughter.

“Jesus, Raf!” Hope exclaims, annoyed. Raf’s eyes are wide, flashing yellow, and he’s breathing heavily. Landon is by his side in a second, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey man, it’s all good. Just us, alright?” 

Hope pulls herself out of Raf’s grip, standing up. “Landon, why didn’t you tell me he was still having these issues?”

“Because he’s getting better, he just doesn’t like being caught off guard!” Landon is still reassuring Raf, whose eyes are beginning to re-focus on the world around him. 

“That doesn’t seem like getting better to me. He almost ripped my freaking leg off!”

“That’s not his fault, Hope.” 

“I don’t care. It’s his responsibility to get help. He needs to talk to Dr Saltzman and Emma if he’s still struggling with his wolf.” Hope’s voice is getting louder as she grows more frustrated with Landon’s inability to see the danger of the situation. 

“They couldn’t help him before, why would they be able to now?” 

“What if someone who wasn’t a tribrid, or _immortal_ , tried to wake him up, Landon? He could lash out and end up killing them!” 

“Hey.” She feels a hesitant touch on her hips and reacts by gripping the hands hard, intending to pull them off. Then she pauses, recognising Josie’s smell. She squeezes the hands as a form of release instead, trying to stop her anger from overflowing. “How about everyone cools it a bit. Shouting isn’t going to help.” Josie says evenly. “Landon, take Raf for a walk, then he can come back and join Hope on look-out.” 

Landon nods, looking grateful. Raf stands up, grabbing his raincoat as it’s started to spit again. He still seems disoriented, but also abashed. “Sorry Hope.” He mutters. She doesn’t respond, standing rigidly in front of Josie.

“So…” MG steps forward awkwardly, hands clasped. “How we splitting these tents?” 

“Uh, girls and boys, _obviously._ I’m not sharing a tent with any stinky werewolves.” Lizzie jumps in, happy for the reprieve. 

MG laughs but Jed scowls. “For the last time, we don’t smell, Saltzman.”

“Yeah, you do. You’re always overheating, sweating, punching things. You smell.” 

They continue to bicker as they head towards the tents, leaving Josie and Hope behind. Josie circles around Hope, coming to stand in front of her. She waits for her to speak first. 

“I’m good. He’s just... naive sometimes. It’s frustrating.”

“Landon?” 

“Yeah. He thinks everything will always be fine, but I know for a fact that sometimes, it’s not. People die if you’re not careful.”

Josie nods, pausing as she seems to consider her response. A raindrop creeps down her nose and she wipes it away. “He means well. He knows he can handle Raf’s fits because nothing bad can happen to him. I suppose, when you can’t die, you sometimes forget how vulnerable other people are.” 

Hope meets her eyes with a hard look. “He’s spent enough time around you to know how vulnerable– _physically_ –” She says, catching Josie’s eyebrow raise, “you are. It’s careless and ignorant to forget. He should know better since for the longest time, we all thought _he_ was vulnerable.”

“So _talk_ to him. And Raf. Yelling doesn’t do anything but work up a situation where adrenaline is already an issue.” 

“Yeah, well, sorry I’m not perfect.” Hope snaps, feeling criticized, and makes to walk away.

Josie sighs heavily, frustrated. “Hope–” She grabs her arm and pulls her, with difficulty, back towards her, enveloping her in a tight hug. Hope huffs in her arms for a second, refusing to return the hug. 

“Come on,” Josie murmurs, stroking her back. “Stop being proud.” Hope finally lets her body sink into her, releasing a jumble of emotions out in one exhale. She closes her eyes and takes a moment to focus in on little things, using her hypersenses: their collective breathing, the rain, the fluttering and scratching of animals in the forest, the smell of jasmine that is Josie's scent, the rustling of the others inside their tents. Then she lets her arms drop slowly, stepping back.

“Thanks Jo. Go get some sleep. I know you’re tired after all that walking.”  
  


Josie pouts. “I _am._ Like you said, we don’t all have superstrength! My legs are _killing_ me.”

Hope laughs and gives her a push towards the tent. She abides, calling out to Lizzie that she ‘ _better not have taken the best blanket.’_

***

Rafael and Landon return shortly after. She sees the dancing shapes of their silhouettes, one long, one small, as she sits by the fire, watching it crackle. When they come to a stop in front of her she looks up at Landon, catching his cautious gaze, and gives him a small smile. His shoulders drop in relief. 

“I’ll leave you two alone.” He says, eyes flitting between them. “Which tent should I…?” 

“Boys are on the left.” Hope replies.

“Ah, okay. Can we, later?” He gestures between the two of them, clearly wanting to talk. Hope nods and Landon heads to bed.  
  


Raf sits down on the opposite side of the fire, his long legs stretching out to almost touch the flames. His movements are slow and wary. Despite Josie’s earlier words, Hope has no intention of breaking the silence. She’s still angry.

“Man, this rain is relentless. Damn Troll could have picked a better day to come calling.”

“It’s an Ogre.” Hope replies, but she extends the magic shield she’s using to stay dry so it covers Rafael too.

He nods in thanks. “What’s the difference?”

“Trolls are smaller, more intelligent– cunning, if you like. They can’t come out in sunlight or they, you know–” She does an exploding motion with her fingers. “–poof. They live in caves, usually in mountains.”

“And how the hell d’you know all this geeky stuff?” 

“Have you forgotten who my boyfriend is?”

He smirks. “True. So what, you spend a lot of time talking about creatures and things?”

“Last year, when all the monsters were coming for the artefacts, we spent a couple days in the library looking up all the mystical creatures we could think of. Landon already knew quite a bit.”

“Makes sense.” 

There’s silence for a few minutes. Then Rafael speaks again.

“So, why are you really mad at me?”

She frowns. “Excuse me?”

“C’mon Hope, that anger you had before. It can’t have just been about the werewolf stuff.”

“Yes, it was.”

He shakes his head. “Are you still mad about that conversation we had the other week?”

“Wha…?” For a second she isn’t sure what he’s talking about. She’s had other stuff on her mind. “You mean the one where you accused me of leading you on?”

“It wasn’t an _accusation_ –”

“It was.”

He sighs, throwing his hands up. “Look Hope, I want us to be good friends again. Like we were last year, before any feelings stuff got in the way.”

She fixes him with her typical Mikaelson stare. “Then you need to stop letting _feelings stuff_ get in the way.”

He nods. “And I will. Once I get an apology– then we can both move on.”

She feels annoyance surge inside her but quickly quells it. She wasn’t going to have a second argument tonight. Instead, she responds evenly. “Raf, I’m going to say this one last time: I’m not going to apologise for the way _you_ felt about something.” She stands up. “I’m going to see if I can sense anything further from camp.”

She walks away, taking a small amount of satisfaction in removing the charm that’s keeping him dry.

“So tell me this?” She realises, with irritation, that Raf has followed her. His voice is harder now, looking for a confrontation. “Why does _Josie_ ,” –he says the name with dripping spite– “get an apology, but I don’t?” 

Hope turns around slowly. “Excuse me?” Her voice is steely.

“She was mad that you didn’t tell her who you were, same as me. She gets all your sympathy, your apologies, you let her be pissy at you for weeks. And I can’t even get a sorry?” 

Hope focuses on one detail he’s let slip. “How did you know what she was mad about?”

“Huh?” 

“She hasn’t shared that with anyone else.” Raf looks shiftily away. Suddenly it clicks. “You listened in on a private conversation!” She growls.

A wave of furious energy sends Rafael flying backwards. 

“I wasn’t listening in!” He splutters from the ground. “I went to take a piss and overheard you guys chatting–”

“And rather than walk away respectfully, you thought you would just hang around?” Hope questions mockingly. 

“I only heard a small amount,” He attempts to get up but Hope throws him to the ground again with a single flick of her hand. “Quit doing that!” He shouts, anger contorting his features. “I get it! You’re mad that I heard you grovelling away to Josie. Not very _Hope Mikaelson_ of you–”

“ _Shut. Up._ ” Hope crouches in front of Raf. “Stop telling me what I’m mad about, what I should do, and mostly _who I am_. You don’t know anything about me, Rafael.”

“Don’t I know it, _lonely girl._ ” Rafael spits back. “Nobody gets to know you, right? Daughter of the Big Bad, too good for anyone, even her own boyfriend. Yeah, that’s right,” he says, noticing how she narrows her eyes. “Landon is convinced half the time that you don’t even trust him. That you won’t ever share yourself with him, not completely.” He sits up, coming face to face with her. She doesn’t move back. “To be honest I don’t think the problem is him. You’re never gonna open up, are you? Not to anyone.”

Hope’s blood boils, but she doesn’t show it, her face a smooth, cold mask. She holds Rafael’s eyes for a few long moments and he looks right back, obviously unsure of what to do with her silence. 

“I’ve had just about enough of today.” Is all she finally says, voice void of emotion. “I’m going to bed.” 

“What about the Ogre?” Rafael calls from the ground, confused and irritated, as Hope walks back towards the campsite.

“Find it your damn self.” She says without turning around. 

***

Hope isn’t surprised to find MG awake and sitting by the fire when she returns.

“Vampire hearing.” Is all he says and she nods. She goes to walk past him without saying anything but then he speaks very softly, making her pause.

“I know it’s hard when he’s being a dick, but try cutting him some slack. It’s a bitter, gut-wrenching thing, coming to terms with the fact that someone doesn’t love you back. Brings out all the nastiness in you.”

She sighs, turning to look at him. “Then how come you handle it so gracefully?” 

He opens and closes his mouth, eyes wide and vulnerable. She leaves him alone.

The tent is cocooned in the warmth of sleep, the twins’ airy breaths the only permeating sound. Through the blotchy darkness Hope can make out Lizzie sprawled across nearly half the tent floor while Josie is tucked inside her sleeping bag, used to accommodating less space. Hope soundlessly removes her shoes and coat before lying down on the sleeping bag unrolled beside Josie.

It’s a tight squeeze, the whole left side of her body brushes the line of Josie’s sleeping bag. Hope inhales and exhales deeply several times. It’s a technique she uses to release pent up frustration, yet Raf’s words still scuttle around her brain, refusing to let her sleep. 

She does her best to keep Landon happy, despite her natural disposition to be withdrawn. She thought he _was_ happy. She wished he’d just tell her when something was bothering him, rather than relaying it all to Raf. It made her feel out of the loop of her own relationship. 

“Urgh.” She rolls over, annoyed at herself for letting this get to her. It’s times like this that she needs to paint, lose herself in the therapeutic strokes of the brush, on the blending and layering of colours, enrapturing in their contradictions.

But she can’t, for obvious reasons petaining to being in a stupid tent in a forest.

With the way she's lying now, she’s face to face with a sleeping Josie, her breaths caressing Hope’s nose. This is all new to her, this closeness. They’ve never had a sleepover as their friendship last year had still been in a relatively early stage; the first delicate flourishings in spring. Now it feels cloaked in something new, like the trees and plants after a storm, every leaf brimming with potential.

It's strange, observing Josie so closely when she's unaware like this. It feels at once invasive and natural. She moves closer, welcoming the distraction, matching her breathing to Josie’s. In the dark it’s hard to make out any distinguishing features, but she can see the gentle slopes of her cheeks and nose and lips, and she traces them all greedily with her finger. Josie has the most expressive lips Hope has ever seen, and she wishes to paint them more than she will ever let on. 

“Art.” The word flows into the darkness, mingling with their shared breaths, before settling with a secret certainty between them.

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who leaves comments, they really push me to write more:)
> 
> This chapter is a chunky one, and it's in Ms Lizzie Saltzman's POV, so enjoy.

Pale, early morning sunlight filters through the tent, scratching at Lizzie’s eyelids. She groans internally, noting the stiffness of her back and the crisp coldness of the air. 

Oh, right. Tent. Ogre. Blah. What possessed them to camp in early November? Her morning self can’t seem to summon the sympathy for human kids right now.

From years of sleeping beside Josie she can sense from her energy that she’s still asleep. If she focuses intently on the part within herself that holds her twin bond, it’s currently mellow and warm.

Groaning externally this time, she rolls over, ready to poke Josie awake. She’s momentarily confused when she sees a mop of auburn hair mixed with Josie’s brown locks. Then she realises: Hope must have snuck into their tent last night.

Okay so technically it isn’t just _their_ tent, and Hope does have as much of a right as either of them to be in there, but it still feels pretty sneaky to Lizzie.

Hope is on her side, her right hand curled near Josie, their faces very close. Lizzie rolls her tired eyes. _So damn protective, even in her sleep_. 

She almost leaves them to peacefully snooze, but it’s just not in her nature. Instead she leans over and flicks both their foreheads in quick succession. Hope’s eyes flick open, a little puffy from sleep. Seeing Lizzie first thing in the morning is apparently not a pleasing sight to her and she narrows her eyes suspiciously. 

“Oh chill out, Mikaelson.” Lizzie snipes. “Thought you might want to get up since we have a monster to catch and all that. Although it seems that morning snuggles with my sister take priority.” 

Hope’s narrowed eyes turn into an eye roll so vehement that Lizzie is secretly quite impressed. Josie has ignored Lizzie’s flick so she jabs her in the stomach instead, causing her to sit up in shock, eyes still half closed. 

“What the hell, Lizzie?” She mumbles, prying her eyes slowly open. Her voice is gravelly with sleep and irritation. “If I did that to you, you’d punch me.” Hope hides a smile.

“Probably.” Lizzie responds, chipper. “I’m going to get MG to cook the rest of those sausages. You princesses can join me when you’re ready.” 

“I thought Jed ate all the sausages…” She hears Josie say to Hope as she leaves the two grumpy girls behind, unzipping the tent and stepping into the damp morning air.

With an irrefutable ability to always be exactly where she needs him, MG is sleeping by the now extinguished fire. Lizzie shakes her head and smiles, walking over to gently siphon him, before muttering a quick fire spell to encourage the nestled embers to relight. 

MG wakes up from the action and shoots her a grin that’s so blinding she has to look away. 

“Morning, Lizzie. You sleep okay?”

“Fine I guess, even though Hope pushed her way in and took up a bunch of space.” 

MG smiles at her dramatics. “Yeah she needed a break last night, so I took over.” 

Lizzie nods non committedly, sitting beside him on the log. “So where’s Raf then, did he go to bed too?” She looks around for MG’s bag. “Are there any sausages left?”

“Yeah I saved a couple so we could have them for breakfast.” He grins and Lizzie loves him. “I put the bag in my tent so no animals could get at it.”

“Well get them, I’m hungry!"

He bounces up and darts to the boys’ tent, unzipping it and returning with his bag in a matter of seconds. Lizzie hears groans of protest from within as he lets the sun in.

“And Raf?” Lizzie asks again, assuming he forgot to answer that part.

MG looks a little shifty as he starts placing the sausages above the fire, avoiding eye contact. “He, uh, went off looking for the Ogre, hasn’t returned yet.”

Lizzie frowns. “That’s weird. Why did you let him go on his own?” 

“He needed space. He promised he wouldn’t try and take it down alone.”

“Why did he need space?” MG looks awkward. “Did something else happen last night?”

“Ummm…” 

“MG,” Lizzie leans closer to him. “You _know_ you can tell me.”

He seems to waver. “Well it was to do with–”

“Morning.” Hope’s voice is brisk as she appears suddenly, holding meaningful eye contact with MG who shuts up quickly. 

Lizzie gives Hope a stony look for always being so annoying, which she completely ignores.

“Where’s Josie?” Lizzie asks with accusation, though what she’s accusing her of, she isn’t sure.

“Still waking up.” Hope replies even as Lizzie spots Josie emerging from their tent. Almost simultaneously, Landon steps out of his own tent, smiling sweetly when he spots Josie. He stretches lazily like a cat, pottering over to her as she says something low and teasing if her body language is anything to go by. Lizzie can’t quite hear, but she watches as Landon reaches her, wrapping her in a hug that’s soft with the lack of inhibitions often present with sleepiness. 

The whole scene seems practiced, familiar, and Lizzie wonders how many times the two woke up next to each other over the summer. She flicks her eyes to Hope, but her face is emotionless as she watches the interaction. 

The pair approach the fire and Landon splits from Josie to give Hope a goodmorning peck on the lips. She receives it with good grace, but when he asks where Raf is she pulls him quickly aside to talk. 

“That’s odd.” Josie frowns, watching them. She drinks from her water bottle, turning to the other two for an explanation. 

Lizzie shrugs. “I have no idea what’s going on either. MG and Hope are keeping secrets.”

MG looks guilty but doesn’t say anything, clearly not willing to risk it with Hope so close by. 

When they return Landon keeps quiet as well but he’s obviously unhappy, constantly looking towards the forest. 

“So,” Hope breaks the tense atmosphere as Jed joins them, thick hair ruffled and sticking up. “I woke up to _several_ angry texts from Dr Saltzman on the school phone.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t go ballistic sooner.” Lizzie remarks. She can't help but be disappointed that her dad hadn’t even noticed they were gone. 

“I think he must have been making a plan of action with Dorian until late at night. Only to realise we had all gone ahead with one already.” Hope replies with mirth. 

“So what did Dad say? Is he coming to find us?” Josie asks.

“He told us to come back right away, which obviously we will ignore. Other than that, the usual: don’t take any risks, don’t underestimate the creature…” They all nod, having heard it a dozen times before–usually to no avail as taking down a monster almost always involves unavoidable risk.

After they have breakfast the boys get to taking the tents down and Hope walks off, probably to go pee. Lizzie notices that Josie follows her, gripping her elbow and pulling her off to the side.

“What’s going on?” Lizzie reads Josie’s lips. Hope isn’t facing her, but even from the back she can tell she’s being defensive, brushing Josie off and leaving her standing there, frowning. Lizzie rolls her eyes. _One step forward, two steps back_. 

Only a minute later Rafael comes skidding into the clearing, eyes wide with adrenaline and the kind of manic energy that comes from being awake too long. 

“Raf!” Landon exclaims, rushing over to him. 

“The Ogre,” He pants. “It’s heading this way. Bout a mile North.” 

“What!” Lizzie screeches. “MG, Jed, get over here! Everybody huddle. We need to think of a plan. Shall we form a line of defence and block its path? Or hide and attack? Why’s Hope taking so long?” She flaps about in a panic. 

“Let’s hide in the trees.” Landon says eagerly. “Get it from above!”

“Yes!” MG agrees, high fiving Landon.

“I’m not hiding in a tree.” Jed scoffs. “I’m a wolf, not a coward.” 

“It’s huge.” Raf says, eyes wide. “It would spot us in a lot of these trees.” He gestures around.

“Where’s Josie gone? Did she go with Hope?” Lizzie says, looking around wildly. She has this sudden, irrational fear that Josie is hurt.

“I don’t think they’d pee together.” Landon frowns.

“Josie!” Lizzie screeches. 

“Lizzie I’m right here, what’s the matter?” Josie appears, holding an apple that she’s obviously just retrieved from her backpack. 

Lizzie slaps it from her hand and pulls her into the circle. “Hey! I needed that! There were no veggie sausages left.” Josie whines. 

“We have bigger fish to fry. The Ogre is heading this way!”  
  


“Ok-ay.” Josie says cautiously. “Why are you screaming?”

“Because the freaking tribrid deserted us!”  
  


“She’s over there.” Josie points to Hope as she walks back into the campsite. 

“Finally!” Lizzie squawks when Hope reaches them. “Finally? What–” Hope questions as Lizzie tugs her into the huddle. “–why are you gathered like this?” 

“Apparently the Ogre is coming.” Josie replies, albeit shortly. 

“It is. I smelt it so I climbed a tree and saw it in the distance. I ran back as fast as I could. ” Raf affirms, not looking directly at Hope.

“So we need a plan of action!” Lizzie says. “We don’t have long.”

Hope nods. “I’ve got the knife. I just need a clear shot of the heart.”

“We need bait. Something to distract it so it’s caught off guard when you attack.” Josie says. Everyone nods. “I’ll do it.”  
  


“Absolutely not.” Hope responds firmly. Lizzie sighs. _Here we go_.

“Ogre’s go for what they perceive as the most vulnerable. None of us are children, so that leaves the _helpless maiden._ ” She air quotes. “We need you to attack with the knife, so it has to be me or Lizzie.” 

“So,” Hope splutters, “Why not Lizzie!”

“Wow, thanks Mikaelson.” Lizzie glares at her. As soon as she thinks she can stand this girl, she goes and reminds her why it is that she hated her in the first place. 

“I’d rather me than my sister. Plus, I know more offensive spells than Lizze– dark ones. If things go wrong, I can handle it.” Josie says confidently.

“Sorry Hope, but I agree with her.” MG says, shrinking from Hope’s glare. “Plus, between the two, Josie looks more damsel in distress-like.” 

“Hey!” Josie pouts. 

“Point proven.” MG grins, reaching over and flicking Josie’s bottom lip with his forefinger.

The other guys agree, and on account of the fact that they don’t have much time, a plan is quickly formulated. Hope seethes quietly, only contributing when absolutely necessary. Lizzie pointedly ignores her, still stung from her comment.

It's decided that Josie will attempt to lure the Ogre to a spot now marked X with two twigs. The X is positioned at a perfect distance from a tree that Hope will be waiting in, knife in hand. When the Ogre is facing the tree, Hope will leap out and stab it. 

Seven minutes later, they’re almost ready. MG and Lizzie have positioned themselves in some thick bushes a few feet behind Josie, ready to come to her aid if necessary. Jed and Raf are hidden either side of the clearing. Landon has found the tallest tree he can climb and is perched on lookout. 

Hope stands with Josie in the middle of the campsite.

“Right. Siphon as much as you can from me.” She demands, her displeasure with what is happening coming off her in waves.

Josie rolls her eyes and places a hand on Hope’s shoulder, pulling energy from her. The power sizzling beneath Hope’s skin is heady. “I don’t understand why you’re so worked up. It’s not like I haven’t fought monsters with you before.”

“You’ve never played _bait_ before.” Hope snaps. “Never purposefully made yourself vulnerable like this.”

“It’s an Ogre, they’re dumb as nails, I’ll be fine. The amount you’re worrying is actually kind of insulting.” 

“It’s _ten feet_ tall, Josie!” 

“And I’m a powerful Witch.” Josie growls back. “Now give me that knife.” She says, snatching it from Hope when all she does is stare at her. She takes a quick breath before dragging the blade down her left palm, slicing the skin. 

“What–” Hope grabs the knife back. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Creating a little incentive for the Ogre to come this way.”

“Uh, guys!” Landon shouts from above. “We got company, 2 o’clock!” The harsh sound of snapping branches can be heard.

“Hope!” Lizzie hisses. “Get up your damn tree, NOW!”

Josie looks towards her and Lizzie holds her eyes through the bushes for a second, giving what she hopes is a reassuring smile. _I’m right here_ , she mouths. Josie nods. Hope is scanning the forest and still hasn’t moved so Josie gives her a shove. 

“Hope, _go_. And remember, don’t engage before I have it in the right position, or you’ll ruin the best chance we have of killing it.”

Hope clenches her jaw and jogs away, swinging herself up her tree with an admirable amount of grace. 

Lizzie watches, heart beating like a bunny’s in her chest, as Josie turns shakily to face the approaching noise. She clenches her hand in an effort to stem the blood flow, holding it to her chest. With her big eyes and delicate frame swamped in the raincoat, she looks every bit the bait she’s playing. 

“Oh god, oh god, oh god.” Lizzie mumbles under her breath. She feels a cool hand grasp hers and squeezes it tightly.

A tense minute passes as the crashing gets louder. Then, when it seems like the Ogre is going to break through into the clearing, there’s a pause.

“What’s it doing?” Lizzie whispers frantically to MG. 

“I dunno.” He murmurs. They can see the shape of it, obscured mostly by trees, as it stands still. A loud sniffing noise reverberates through the air. 

Then it reveals itself.

Lumbering into the clearing, the creature is at _least_ ten foot tall, its skin a moss green colour, mottled and lumpy, thick with hair that gathers more heavily in patches along its arms, chest and legs. It’s head is huge and boulder-like, with a jaw that juts out in an underbite, revealing shark-like teeth. Lizzie traces her eyes down its grotesquely stretched stomach and is met with the sight of a long, hanging penis, sickly grey in colour and at least 13 inches in length.

“Bleurgh.” She gags. “I’m gonna be sick, I’m gonna be sick.” MG looks queasy as well. “Why hasn’t it got a rag on or something?!” Lizzie asks, her eyes burning. 

“I guess this isn’t a fairytale, and Ogres probably aren’t too bothered about being indecent.”

“Poor Jo.” Lizzie says as she watches the Ogre drag its feet towards Josie, mean little eyes fixed keenly upon her. Josie is carefully stepping backwards, keeping a couple of metres between herself and the creature, leading it towards the X. As far as Lizzie can tell, the Ogre is slow and gullible, just like expected. 

Josie is almost at the necessary mark when she makes the mistake of glancing backwards, most likely to see how far she has to go. The Ogre takes its chance, lunging forward and swinging its elongated arm in a move that is entirely unprecedented. It catches Josie in the rib cage and she goes sailing through the air, landing with a painful cry.

All Hell breaks loose.

Hope flies out of the tree and just about manages to land on the Ogre’s shoulder, jamming her large knife into one of its eyes with a ferocious growl. The creature roars gutturally. Jed and Raf come running out of the undergrowth, the latter picking up the large log they’d all sat on. As the monster sways, trying to dislodge Hope from it’s shoulder, Raf swings the log at its knees, causing it to stumble and howl with anger. Jed runs over to Josie and Lizzie tries to do the same but MG holds her back.

“Wait, we need to figure out a game plan. Jed’s got Josie, she’ll be okay.”

“She’s in pain, she needs me!” Lizzie cries.

“Right now, she needs this monster defeating. You need to concentrate.” MG says calmly, even though she can see the anxiety practically rattling through his body. 

She looks over to Josie. She’s conscious, but is clearly struggling to breathe without pain as Jed cradles her head. 

Lizzie hears a cry and sees that the Ogre has got a hold of Hope by the leg and is dangling her upside down. It’s momentarily distracted as Raf takes another swipe at its legs, clearly trying to bring him down, but stands sturdy nonetheless. Instead, it kicks Raf hard, sending him tumbling several metres away. 

Lizzie siphons MG and rises. 

  
“Icaus!” The force of the spell causes the Ogre stumble back in shock, dropping Hope. She scrambles backwards and stands up quickly.

“Hope!” Landon appears by Hope’s side. “Are you alright? I’m sorry, it took me a while to get down the tree–” He glances over to Josie, worry soaking his features. “Jose…”

“Landon what are you doing? Get back!” Hope shouts as Lizzie and the others join her. “We need to find a way to keep it still. I can’t get to its heart when it’s swinging me around.” She levitates a small boulder and sends it shooting towards the Ogre. It breaks into pieces against its shoulder but stalls the monster for a moment. 

“I’m tryna get it to fall but it’s too strong.” Raf pants. “Maybe if you join me, MG…” MG nods.

“It’s blindsighted on its right side, isn’t it?” Landon asks. Hope nods, gripping her now bloody knife. “So I’ll distract it, try and keep it in one position, so you can come at it from the right, Hope.”

Hope sends the Ogre stumbling back again, cursing. “I don’t know Landon…”

“I can’t die, Hope–” “That doesn’t mean I like watching you die!” She yells.

Landon throws his arms up. “What choice do we have?” 

When Hope opens her mouth but can’t think of a rebuttal, he nods and jogs forward. 

“Hey! Over here!” He picks up a rock and throws it at the monster’s head. “You know, you kinda look like this guy I went to school with once.” The Ogre starts to lope towards him, its boulder-like fists swinging menacingly.

“Okay.” Hope murmurs to Raf and MG, her eyes tracking Landon. “You two go around the back. Stay hidden until it’s close enough to Landon, then run forward and grab its legs. Try and hold it still, even for a second. That’s when I’ll strike.” They nod and run off, keeping to the trees. 

As Hope starts to circle around to the left, Landon reaches down for another rock.

Lizzie sees it coming. “Landon watch out!” The Ogre brings down his large hand on top of Landon, the force of it knocking him flat onto his face. It keeps pushing, pressing him down into the earth, squeezing the air from his lungs with malicious relish. 

“Fuck!” Lizzie screams, looking around frantically. The boys are too far away, and clearly haven't noticed what is happening yet. She doesn’t have anything to siphon from. Landon is gonna die along with their plan. 

She sees Hope running towards him as he makes these terrible choking sounds, face blossoming with pink, but Lizzie knows she’s not going to make it.

“ _Tenebris lapsus_!”

With a sickening cracking sound, the Ogres legs seem to cave in, bending at grotesque angles. An animalistic sound is dragged from its throat as it falls forward.

Lizzie’s head whips around to the source of the voice. “Jo…” 

Almost limp with pain, but standing nonetheless, is Josie. She’s leaning against Jed’s chest for support, her face grey, her eyes dark and solid–focused on her target. 

MG appears from the undergrowth, using vampire speed to pull Landon out of harm’s way as the creature falls with a thud that shakes the ground. 

Hope wastes no time. “Help me roll it over! NOW!” 

Raf, Hope and MG all heave the Ogre onto its back, ducking from its waving arms. With a vengeful growl, Hope drives the knife deep into its heart, twisting it for good measure. The squelchy, wet sound it makes and the putrid blood that sprays out makes Lizzie gag. The Ogre gurgles wetly before it’s huge head falls limp.

Everyone falls back in exhaustion. Hope turns to look at Lizzie in confusion. Her face is filthy, covered in Ogre blood. She looks wild. “Was that you?”

Lizzie shakes her head and points a shaky finger. Everyone follows it, turning to look at Josie just as she faints, head flopping forward while Jed holds her up around the waist. He looks terrified, but also utterly in awe, as though he’d just had a religious experience.

“Well damn.” MG says what everyone’s thinking.

***

Josie is in a worrying condition so MG ends up running back to the school with her in his arms, taking her to the infirmary. 

Landon comes away with severe bruising but nothing broken, saved it seems by the Ogre’s enjoyment of killing him slowly and painfully. When he feels ready to walk, the rest of them trudge back to the school in silence, all too drained to talk.

Lizzie can tell that Hope is agitated, clearly wanting to transform into wolf form and run ahead. But she stays, supporting Landon as he winces with every step.

Lizzie wants to snap at her that _we’re all anxious about Josie, you’re not the exception,_ but she holds her tongue.

Alaric is fuming when they get back. He waits at the doors, arms crossed as they reluctantly approach him. All he says is: “My office. Now.”

Hope begins to protest. “I want to see–”

  
“ _Now_ , Hope.” His voice holds no room for compromise. Lizzie doesn’t bother kicking up a fuss, she knows when her dad is in one of his serious rages; it’s better to let him release it all first.  
  


It’s a Sunday afternoon so the hallways are pretty quiet, but the students who do see them stare blatantly, especially at Hope. She glares at all of them and they duck their heads.

When they reach his office they stand in an awkward line, all wanting nothing more than to get a shower and some food. MG is already in there and he gives them a weak smile.

Her dad paces back and forth, looking at the students in front of him. They all avoid eye contact except Hope, who stands with her back straight, defiant as usual.

“Who is in charge of this school?” He finally asks. No one replies so he repeats the question, with emphasis on the ‘who.’

Not afraid to be a suck up, MG replies. “You, Sir.”

“So why on Earth, did you all decide to defy my direct orders and go after this thing yourself?”  
  


“With all due respect, Dr Satzman,” Hope’s voice is dripping in anything but respect. “Someone had to. Waiting around was a danger to everyone.”

“My daughter is in the infirmary with three broken ribs, one of which came very close to puncturing her lung. Do you really want to talk to me about danger right now, Hope?” Alaric gets close to Hope’s face as he talks furiously. She inhales sharply at the mention of Josie’s injuries.

“It’s not Hope’s fault that Josie was in danger, Sir.” Landon defends. “She was the only one against it, actually.” 

Alaric looks at him for a second before sighing, stepping back from Hope. This is when Lizzie jumps in, sensing her dad’s defences coming down. 

“Daddy, be honest. How exactly would you have had us deal with it otherwise? Wait for it to return to the school, and then what? Have the exact same showdown that no matter of planning could prepare us for, the exact same way as usual?” 

Her dad locks his jaw tightly.

“The truth is that we actually made the situation safer. We kept it away from the school, and away from _children_.”

She watches as her dad sinks into a chair, kneading his forehead. 

“Just...go to your rooms, stay out of trouble for the rest of the weekend please. Don’t think you’re getting away with this though, there will be a punishment.”

  
Lizzie catches Hope rolling her eyes and has to agree with the sentiment. They’d just killed the Ogre for him, they could at least get a _thank you_ or _good job._  
  
  


None of them waste any time darting towards the door, but her dad stops them before they can leave. 

“I’m assuming a clean up job is necessary. We don’t want any civilians coming across an Ogre body in the forest.” 

Sighing with impatience, Hope stays behind to describe to him roughly where the body is located.

Lizzie hesitates at the door. “Dad, is Josie okay?” His eyes soften at the fragility in her voice.

“She’s okay baby. Her ribs are wrapped up and she’s on a lot of morphine. She’s sleeping in the infirmary right now but she’ll be taken back to your room later.”

“Did you not give her a vile of my blood?” Hope asks, accusingly.

“Well yes, I tried to. But she refused, said the blood should be saved for werewolf bites and other life threatening injuries. She can be very stubborn.” He catches their looks of distress and chuckles. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll be singing a very different tune once the morphine wears off.”

  
  


***

Lizzie takes a burning hot shower and cleans her teeth thoroughly, trying to wash away the grime of the past 24 hours. She eats a big bowl of pasta for lunch, grabbing Josie a sandwich and some fruit when she guiltily remembers the discarded apple. Her poor sister hadn’t eaten anything today.

Josie is returned to their room at about 6pm, still asleep. 

“She’ll be more comfortable in her own bed.” The nurse says kindly, depositing a bottle of painkillers in Lizzie’s hand with orders to give four to Josie once she wakes up, along with plenty of water.

Lizzie sits next to her sister on her bed. Her face is hot and clammy, her hair still tangled from the forest. She sighs, stroking her cheek. 

“Oh, Jo…” She was always doing too much, pushing herself too far. Many a night Lizzie would fall asleep while Josie sat up in bed, reading page after page of spell books. Some nights she didn’t get back until late, and Lizzie had a niggling suspicion that she was off practicing new dark spells, taking the Mora Miserium with her under the guise of finding a way to prevent it from breaking. Really, Lizzie believed she was still using it to null any effects the dark magic had– both on herself and Lizzie. 

She has been trying to think of a way to bring it up with her, but truthfully, Josie seems so _fine_ most of the time that it’s hard to see why she should. And hadn’t dark magic saved their asses today?

  
She’s been reading _Harry Potter_ on her bed for about half an hour when she hears a knock on the door.  
  


“Come in.”

It’s Hope, wearing sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. She comes into the room, eyes immediately finding Josie who’s still asleep in her bed. Lizzie watches as some of the agitation she’s been carrying around all day finally slips out of her body, her shoulders dropping.

“She hasn’t woken up yet, then?” Hope asks, sitting beside Josie and pressing a hand against her forehead. “God, she’s burning up.” 

“No, but the nurse who dropped her off an hour ago said she probably would soon.”

She hums a noise of understanding and they sit in silence for a few minutes, Hope gently playing with Josie’s hair, untangling it strand by strand. 

“I’m sorry, about what I said earlier.” Hope breaks the quiet, glancing her way. Lizzie shrugs. 

“You’re a massive bitch sometimes, what’s new? I am too.”

“It was still a shitty thing to say.”

“Well yeah, but you meant it, didn’t you?”

Hope hesitates before replying. “I care about you both.”

Lizzie just rolls her eyes, chuckling slightly. “Yeah, yeah. But it’s always going to be her before me. I get it. I’d put her before you as well. Just like I'd probably put MG before you, too.”  
  


Hope raises her eyebrows. “Well, as long as we’ve reached an understanding.”  
  


Just then, Josie begins to stir, her forehead scrunching up. Lizzie hurriedly throws her covers back and crosses over to Josie’s bed just as she opens her eyes. 

“Hey,” Hope says, voice soft as butter. “How you feeling?” 

“Um,” Josie’s voice is croaky. “Pretty awful.” Hope frowns and brushes her hair back from her face. Josie’s eyes follow the movement. “You’re still so hot, I think it’s a fever.”

Lizzie fetches a water bottle and holds it delicately to Josie’s lips. “You should drink some, Jo. I’ve got food as well for when you feel up to eating.” Josie accepts the water, drinking little sips like a baby bird. After she’s had enough she attempts to sit up, but cries out in pain, clutching her ribs.

“Hey, hey, take it easy Jo.” Lizzie says. “I have painkillers that the nurse gave me, just don’t move…” She turns away to get them but Hope makes a noise of frustration.

“She doesn’t need stupid painkillers. She needs my blood.”

Lizzie turns back around to see Josie’s chest heaving with pain, her face flushed and sweaty. 

“I don’t want to take from those who may need it.” Josie murmurs. 

“ _You_ need it, Jo.” Hope says softly but forcefully. “It’s my blood, I can just restock it tomorrow.” Josie shakes her head but it’s hesitant, her eyes glazing over with pain.

“Fine. You don’t need to take from the stock.” Hope says, and Josie and Lizzie both look at her in surprise. “You can take it right from the source. That way, no one is going with less, even for one night. ”  
  


“I–” Josie’s voice wavers in surprise and uncertainty. Lizzie blanches.

“Ew, Hope.” 

“What?” Hope says, turning to look at her. “She’s drinking my blood either way, what’s the difference? This way we don’t have to go to the stockroom, and I don’t have to refill a vile tomorrow. I’m not a huge fan of needles.” She wrinkles her nose.

When Josie makes another noise of pain that she tries to repress, Hope makes her mind up for both of them. She heads over to Josie’s desk, retrieving the small knife that Josie uses for spells.

Without flinching, she drags the knife along her left wrist, making a reasonably deep cut. She sits beside Josie again and presses the wrist to her lips.

“Drink Jo, you’ll feel better.” 

Lizzie watches as Josie hesitates, eyelashes fluttering as she looks up at Hope. When Hope presses the wrist harder to her lips she gives in, beginning to drink. 

It’s disgusting, but Lizzie can’t look away from the strange scene. Josie’s eyes have closed as her body absorbs the blood, the effects taking place almost immediately: her forehead smooths out, her chest stops heaving, and her head sinks back into the pillow in relief. 

Hope’s eyes are fixed intently on her, and Lizzie can’t quite put a label on the expression her face holds. 

  
She picks up _Harry Potter_ and continues to read.  
  



	7. Chapter 7

“Ah!” Hope yelps as she slips on her bedroom floor, almost doing the splits in an attempt to stay upright.

“Oops, must have dripped a bit there. Sorry!” Alyssa remarks from where she’s lying on her bed wrapped in a towel. She’s painting her nails dark blue. Hope grits her teeth.

“For the last time, wrap your hair in a towel when you come back from the showers!”

“No can do, Hopey. It tangles my hair up terribly.”

“Then dry the floor so I don’t break my neck getting clothes from my dresser.’

“Urgh. Shut up. I’m trying to focus here.”

Taking a few deep breaths and willing away the urge to curse her, Hope turns back to her dresser and pulls out her uniform. Then she crosses the room to their bathroom. 

“You seriously still won’t change in front of me?” Alyssa asks, humour dancing in her voice. “What do you think I’m gonna do? Perv on you?”

Hope ignores her and slams the bathroom door.

***

“I can’t room with her anymore!”

Dr Saltzman sighs and leans back in his desk chair, taking a deep gulp of coffee. The mug reads: _No.1 Dad_. The bags under his eyes suggest that he didn’t get much sleep last night following the Ogre extravaganza.

“Hope, I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“Put her back in the room she was in before.” Hope pouts.

Alaric clicks his tongue. “She was rooming for two years with...what’s her name...Serena. Serena Whitehall or Whitehorse, I think. The girl made numerous complaints to me about her. When I realised I had an empty room it seemed the right thing to do was move Alyssa.”

“But I’ve returned now, so put her back!”

“It wouldn’t be fair, Hope.” When Hope starts to protest he raises a finger. “Look, I’ve got more important things to focus on right now, such as running this school, and locating where the hell this Malivore portal is. And you also have more important _student_ things to be focusing on.”

She sighs. The next couple of weeks were Midterms. Due to the disruption and anxiety caused by the Ogre, Dr Saltzman had pushed the supernatural exams to the following week, but all non-magical exams were still going ahead this week as planned. 

Dr Saltzman is watching her with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t you have a Geography exam this afternoon?”

“Yeah but I’d rather help you with the portal. Plus, I'm great at Geography– like I told you before.”

“And a Math one tomorrow?”

She hesitates. “Okay, so I’m less good at Math but–”

“Mrs Collette tells me you're barely scraping a C right now.”

Bitch. “I’ve had distractions. Plus I already did some revision for them last week when everyone but Landon was ignoring me.” She huffs. 

Dr Saltzman pretty much ignores her. “Josie has an ongoing study session in the library with your whole group of friends. Something you should really be at now rather than whinging to me about Alyssa. The lack of classes isn’t a chance to slack off, Hope, it’s a chance to prepare.”

“When do I ever _slack off_ …” Hope mutters. “And Josie is out of bed?”

Alaric sighs. “Yeah. I told her she should take at least one more day of rest– the exams can wait– but she insisted she felt fine and would rather carry on as normal.”

Hope frowns. “That seems like a bad idea.”

“Well, we both know how efficient your blood is at healing people. Now I have to get back to this, so...” He looks at her pointedly.

“Fine, I’m going.”

***

Hope trudges slowly into the library, her textbooks weighing heavy on her shoulder. She spots the group rather quickly: Josie, Lizzie, Raf, Jed and MG are all sitting together on one of the long tables. Josie has her head craned over a book, scribbling furiously into a notepad. The others are chatting in low voices. She’s disappointed to find the seat next to Josie is taken by Jed, so she takes the one opposite instead. 

“Hey,” Josie greets her when she sits down, smiling. The others murmur greetings too. Well, except Raf, who has his earphones in and doesn’t acknowledge her. Things have been awkward between them since the camping trip.

“Hey, how are you feeling? You really should be in bed, Josie.”

Joise rolls her eyes mildly. “I feel fine.”

“She was up before me this morning, sprightley as ever.” Lizzie comments.

“I got twelve hours sleep and Hope’s blood running through my system. I’m better than I am on an average day.”

“If you say so.” Hope replies dubiously as she gets her Maths textbook out.

“I’m serious. Landon was worse off than me this morning!”

“What’s wrong with him?” Hope asks, mildly concerned.

“He dropped by my room this morning, still in his pyjamas.” Josie explains, a smile in her voice. “The bruising on his chest was sore so I gave him some of this soothing plant ointment I made.”

“Plant ointment?”

“You know that Josie’s _the_ Crazy Plant Lady, don’t you?” Lizzie teases. MG laughs. “Her Biological Magic teacher thinks she’s her protégé.”

Josie blushes a gentle pink. 

“Huh.” Hope says, smiling. “You’ll have to show me.”

“Sure. Anyway,” Josie turns the conversation away from herself. “Landon said he was feeling better at breakfast, which I didn’t see _you_ at by the way.”

At her words, Hope remembers her bad mood. “Oh yeah. I was in your dad’s office.” She grumbles.

“You and our dad better not be keeping secrets–” Lizzie warns, narrowing her eyes.

“–No, no. I was trying to get out of having to continue rooming with _Alyssa Chang_.” She says her name with contempt. 

Jed whistles. “Yeah that girl is hard work.” Everyone looks at him. “What? I dated her for a bit last year. She was kind of a nightmare. She also definitely mentioned how much she hates you, Hope.”

Hope tuts. “Figures.”

“And you twins, actually.” He grins at Josie’s affronted face. “Though I don’t really get how someone could hate you, Jo.”

“Uh, excuse me while I go vomit.” Lizzie remarks and Hope agrees. Talk about overkill. 

“Shut up, Lizzie.” Josie says lightly. “Thank you, Jed.” She gives his arm a squeeze. 

Hope’s bad mood is back with a vengeance and she slumps down on the table with her head in her arms. 

“I’m guessing Dr Satzman said no, then?” MG asks. 

“Yeah.” Hope mumbles into her arms. “Said it wouldn’t be fair on her old roommate if she had to share with her again. Some girl called Sarah Whitehood.”

“Sarah Whitehood?” Hope can hear confusion in Josie’s voice so she lifts her head. She’s frowning as she thinks. 

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know any Witch called– wait, do you mean Serena Whitehall?”

“Uh...maybe?”

“Serena, head of the Goth Coven, Serena? Hope, she’s been at this school for years. How do you not know her name?” Josie scolds. Lizzie snickers as she writes her notes.

“How am I supposed to know everybody’s names?”

“Yeah, Josie. Remember you’re talking to loner girl here.” Lizzie snips.

Josie just rolls her eyes. “Well you know, you could try the revolutionary idea of _talking_ to Serena. See if she’s willing to have Alyssa back? She’s a nice girl."

“You know her?”

“I’m the Witch Representative on the Honour Council, it’s my job to know the witches."

“Okay, okay. We can’t all be social butterflies.” Hope teases. Josie huffs and taps Hope’s textbook. 

“Do some work.” Hope reluctantly opens it up to quadratic equations. 

“Where _is_ Landon?”

“He’s going over some of the Origin of Species content with Mr Tweed, I think he’s been struggling a bit with it.” Josie replies without looking up. “He’ll be here soon.”

“He should have told me! I aced that module like two years back.” Hope says, twiddling her pen.  
  


Josie shrugs. Jed leans over and murmurs a question to her, pointing to something on her page. “Yeah, sedimentary rock.” Jed nods. “I guess Landon knows you take a lot of subjects. He didn’t want to take up your time.” Josie says. 

“He’s my boyfriend, I always have time for him.”

She watches as MG, Lizzie and Josie all share a look. “What?”

“Uh, do you?” MG asks, laughter tickling the edges of his words. 

“Yes.” Her tone is indignant. 

“Okay.” MG obviously doesn’t believe her as he turns back to his studying.

“I _do_.” She reiterates.

“Of course.” Josie placates her and she resents her for it.

She sits there sulkily, unable to focus on any work, but not wanting to go back to her room because Alyssa is probably there. About fifteen minutes later Landon comes in, giving everyone an awkward wave as he approaches the table. She perks up. 

“Hey handsome.” She hooks a finger in his school sweater and pulls him in for a kiss. Lizzie makes vomit noises and Josie ignores the display.

He grins sweetly after they break apart, but there’s more than a hint of surprise on his face. “Did someone slip you one of those happy slugs again?” He asks playfully. Everyone laughs, including Raf– who’s finally taken his earphones out now that Landon has arrived. 

Hope’s smile drops and she sits back with a frown, before shoving her Maths textbook into her bag and standing up.

Landon looks confused. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll leave you all alone since you seem to think i’m such an unkind, unloving person.” Hope directs her statement at the group and turns to leave without watching their reactions. Landon tries to grab her arm, “Hope, wait–” but she shakes him off.

As she’s stalking towards the door she hears Landon ask hopelessly: “Should I go after her?”

Josie replies. “No, leave her be. It’s not about you, Landon.”  
  


***

Hope’s foul mood only worsens as the week continues. She’s snapping at people left, right and centre, dodging her friends, being short with teachers. Brock, a member of the pack, accidentally stamps on her foot in the lunch queue and she sends him flying right to the back. 

Alyssa seems practically gleeful that she is getting to her so much.

“Your boyfriend came by again today. He looked like a kicked puppy: ‘ _is hope in? '_ ,” Alyssa mimics his voice. “Did you stop playing Dungeons and Dragons with him or something?”

It’s Wednesday evening and Hope is at her desk, _trying_ to get some revision done for her English exam tomorrow.

“The fact you even know what Dungeons and Dragons is means you’re geekier than you’d probably like to admit.” Hope replies.

“No, I just saw it under your bed one time. Along with an _enormous_ dildo, is that because Landon’s not quite up for the job?”

Hope ignores her, clenching her pen hard as she writes. She’s learnt quickly that rising to the bait only makes Alyssa worse. 

There’s quiet for a few minutes, which Hope relishes. Then:

“So what’s going on with Jed and Josie?” Alyssa’s voice is different; a feigned indifference about it.

“What do you mean?” Hope asks shortly.

“I saw him hold the door open for her earlier.”  
  


“You’re making assumptions based on him holding open a door?” 

“Jed is not a natural gentleman, if he’s holding doors open, it means something.” Alyssa snaps. “Plus he was staring at her all through dinner.” Hope wouldn’t know, she’d eaten in her room.

“Yeah well,” her voice isn’t quite as airy as she wants it to be. “Josie’s my friend, if there was something going on, she’d tell me.”

“Right.” Alyssa snorts. “Is that what you’re calling your tortured quest for the same boy? A _friendship_?”

“Why do you care anyway?” Hope retorts, trying to gain the upper hand. “You in love with him or something?”

“Of course not.” Alyssa bites.

She lapses into silence for the rest of the night, even picking up a textbook. Hope doesn’t feel bad. 

  
  


***

Hope decides the next day to try and talk to Serena Whitehall. The only problem is: she has no clue where to find her. She’s walking along the school corridor keeping an eye out for any gothic looking girls when she smacks right into someone. Their books go tumbling to the ground like a waterfall, one of them hitting her foot hard. She’s ready to snap at the idiot to watch where they’re going when–

“Ah, great.” Says an exhausted sounding voice.

–she realises it’s Josie.

“Sorry, Jo.” She says sheepishly, bending to help her pick them up. Josie has her hair tied back in a ponytail, small wispy strands of hair teasing her face. She looks a bit ruffled, and very tired. 

“Don’t worry. I guess taking so many Witch electives on top of my compulsory classes is catching up to me.” She sighs. “I have so much revision to do and so little time.”

They stand up together, Josie tucking the books back under her arm. “And you? How’s it going?” Josie asks delicately. 

“Just...trying not to go insane, I guess.” Hope sighs. “I know I’ve been a bitch this week,” –Josie raises an eyebrow– “I _know_ okay? It’s just, I can’t get a single moment of peace.” Her voice gets higher at the end with frustration. 

Josie sighs, opening her mouth to speak when someone jostles her while walking past. 

“Hey!” Hope snaps, reaching out and grabbing the boy by his shirt collar. He jolts back like he’s on a leash, eyes widening when he sees who pulled him. He looks about fifteen. “Watch it.” She waits until he nods shakily before shoving him away again.

When she turns back Josie is watching her, an amused lilt to her mouth. “Come on, we _are_ standing in the middle of the hallway.” Hope follows her into the common room and Josie practically collapses into a seat.

“Urgh, I can’t believe we have another whole week of this.” She groans, pressing her fingers into her temples. “I have a headache from staring at books for hours and my neck is killing me.”

Hope makes a sympathetic noise, watching as Josie closes her eyes momentarily and lets her head fall back against the seat. She forgets sometimes that witches’ bodies aren’t super-regenerative like the rest of them.

“So is Alyssa really that bad?” 

Hope fiddles with a loose thread on her skirt. “She’s not the worst person I’ve ever met. But it’s like, you know when you can just about put up with something as long as nothing else in your life is going wrong?”

Josie nods.

“Well now that the portal is back open, that means more monsters, and with the midterms, I just–” She sighs. “When you have a shit day, you want to be able to go to your room and just...exist. I can never do that with Alyssa.” 

“It used to be like that with Lizzie. She’d talk on and on about all the things people had done wrong to her that day, we’d have to plan her next move with a boy...now, she’s more understanding, let’s me be when I’m tired. I guess the difference is Lizzie doesn’t actively hate me.” Josie says, stretching her neck from side to side.

“At this point I’d even room with Lizzie.” Hope says seriously and Josie laughs.

They sit quietly for a moment, the rush of students around them a background hum.

“Hey, come here. I’ll try get the kink out of your neck.” Hope pats the spot in front of her.

“Really?” Hope nods. “Lifesaver!” Josie makes her way over, awkwardly crouching in front of the couch before Hope laughs and says “No just sit in front of me– between my legs.”

Josie sits down and Hope takes her gently by the hips, pulling her body closer to her. Josie inhales slightly in surprise before relaxing as Hope runs her fingers along her shoulders and up her neck, tentatively pressing for sore spots. 

“Ow, ow, ow. There.” Josie whimpers when she gets to just below the bottom of her skull. 

“Yeah, your trapezius muscles are really tight.” Hope rubs her thumbs in circles there, before moving them up and down in long strokes. Josie keeps tensing every other second. “You can tell me if it’s hurting, by the way,” Hope says, grinning. “You don’t have to put on a brave act.”  
  


Josie releases a breath all at once. “Okay, it really hurts!” She wriggles when Hope presses down on a particularly achy spot, flopping back against her. “I give up! I can’t handle the pain.”

Hope suddenly finds herself cradling Josie, her chin resting on her head. She slowly slips her arms around her waist, feeling the warmth of her stomach in places where her school shirt has ridden up. 

“You can handle the pain of three broken ribs but not a sore neck?” She teases, speaking into her hair. She feels lighter for the first time in days. It’s as though someone is running a finger along each of her nerve endings, releasing endorphins and momentarily relieving the irritable tension that's been buried inside her all week. 

She supposes this is what it’s like to actually have a close friend, someone who can take her mind off things. 

“I didn’t really handle those broken bones, let’s be honest.” Josie says, tilting her head to look at Hope. They share a smile until Josie’s eyes slide to the side and her face drops.

“What?” Hope says worriedly, following her gaze. She can’t see anything. In fact, she can’t see anyone…

“Our English exam!" Josie squeals. “We’re late!”

***

Since she got distracted before the exam, Hope still has to find Serena. Josie had mentioned there was a backroom in the school that the Goth Coven liked to hang out in, an old storage space that Dr Saltzman had allowed them to make use of. 

After about fifteen minutes of searching she finds a door with an ominous skull symbol stuck on it and the sounds of murmuring voices coming from within. She knocks cautiously. The door is edged open and a boy with blue highlights in his hair and dark eyeliner peers at her.

“Hi. I’m Hope Mikaelson. Can I come in?”  
  


He stares at her. “Do I need a password or something?” Still nothing. The boy seems kind of lost for words. She knows that the Goth Coven keep to themselves, are all very introverted, but she didn’t realise they were this challenged socially. “Look I need to speak to Serena, so can you move out the way please?” He doesn’t stop her from pushing the door open and she steps into the room.

The space is of medium size, about four by six metres, lit only by a dim hanging bulb. The shelves contain jars filled with odd substances, and various Ankhs, Pentacles, dreamcatchers and animal symbols hang from the ceiling. There’s a strange smell of incense, must and something slightly putrid. Hope wrinkles her nose. A group of about seven teenagers sit in a circle, all now staring at her.

“Do you guys worship Satan in here or something?” She half-jokes, swallowing awkwardly when no one laughs– or makes to dispute the question. 

She has no idea what Serena Whitehall looks like so she takes her best bet and just calls out: “Serena?” 

“Yes?” A girl stands up rather eagerly, brushing down her skirt. “Did you need something?” She’s tall and gangly, with skin so pale it looks like it hasn’t seen the sun in years. Her hair seems to have had a similar attitude towards combs.

Hope can already imagine how Alyssa must have torn this girl apart. She feels her chances of having a free room begin to slip away. 

“Could I talk to you outside for a second?” She asks nonetheless.

The girl at least seems capable of talking, unlike her friends, and nods. “You guys continue without me.”

“So, does the school need saving again? Do you need me to help with it?” Her voice is keen, and she whispers as though the two of them are conversing on a deeply confidential topic.

“Um, no, nothing like that.” Hope says. Serena’s face falls, her mouth drooping. “Unless you’ve felt any strange new sources of energy near the school. Something very powerful, holding a _lot_ of magical energy.” Serena shakes her head but her excitement seems renewed. 

“Is this to do with the Ogre? Is Malivore reopened?” 

“Potentially.” Hope replies shortly.

“I’ll get my Coven to start searching the energies of the school.” 

“Well, I doubt it’s _in_ the school but I suppose here’s as good a place to start as any…” Hope says. “I’m actually here to talk to you about something much more boring I’m afraid. Although it links to the wellbeing of the whole on a larger scale.” 

“What?”

“You used to room with Alyssa Chang, right?”

Serena’s face darkens and she nods almost imperceptibly. 

“Well, you see, I room with her now. But she completely stops me from getting anything done. We don’t get on at all and I think it would be better for everyone if she moved back in with you.”

“Everyone? I don’t think so, it would _not_ be better for me.” Serena protests. “I don’t see how this has anything to do with the wellbeing of the school?”

“Well, it has to do with the wellbeing of _me_ , ergo the school…”  
  


“I’m sorry Hope, I’m not doing it. That girl is an awful human being and she made my life miserable.”

“But you’ve had a break from her–”

“I roomed with her for two years, you’ve room with her for two _weeks_!” Serena replies incredulously. 

Hope opens and closes her mouth.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go pretend to my coven that the reason Hope Mikaelson spoke to me for the first time was because she’s enlisting my help in a secret mission.”

She leaves Hope standing there, finally resigned to her fate.

***

It’s Friday and Hope has just got out of her Civics exam, the last of the non-magical assessments. She sees Landon talking to Raf across the hallway and she realises how much she misses him– they had barely spoken all week. Hope felt hurt that people seemed to perceive her as unaffectionate and distracted within their relationship, especially since Landon apparently thought that too. With everything else going on it just felt natural to her to keep her distance.

She watches as he throws his head back and laughs at something Rafs says, his curls bouncing. He is always so unabashedly himself. 

She almost swallows her pride and walks over, but then Rafael catches her eye, his face tightening. Hope is in no way threatened by Raf, but she hasn’t the energy to deal with him right now. Instead she turns away and trudges slowly to her room, dreading another encounter with Alyssa. She has been avoiding her room all day, even eating lunch with the twins in the dining hall. 

When did her life become a series of exhausting encounters?  
  


As she reaches for her bedroom handle it opens sudddenly from the inside. A small spring of hope blossoms inside her. Maybe Alyssa was going out for the evening.

It _is_ Alyssa, carrying a box and a particularly disparaging look on her face. 

“Oh, it’s you.” 

“Well, this is my room too.” Hope sighs. “What are you doing?” The box is full of Alyssa’s prized jewellery. She has threatened before that Hope better not touch it, _ever_. 

“Getting the last of my stuff. Obviously.” Alyssa rolls her eyes. 

“What?”

“Seriously? Didn’t Dr Saltzman tell you?” Hope shakes her head dumbly. This was too good to be true. “He found me my own room. His exact words were: _some personalities flourish best alone_.”

Hope steps around Alyssa and her eyes widen. The room is completely cleared of Alyssa’s belongings, including her bed. 

“I’ve been moving out all day. Well actually, it didn’t take that long because of, you know, _magic_ , but this box was too valuable so I had to carry it by hand.”

Hope turns around. “Right. Okay.”  
  


Alyssa rolls her eyes again. “Yep. So long partner, it’s really not been fun.” And with a swish of her skirt, she’s gone.

Hope closes the door slowly, staring at the room for a second. Then she leaps in the air, letting out a squeal of happiness. “YES!”

***

She’s writing a quick note for Landon when Dr Saltzman sticks his head round her door, smirking. 

“How’s it going in here?”  
  


She stands up grinning. “Much better, thank you.” It’s true. She feels like an oppressive weight has vanished from her shoulders. “What made you change your mind? You were adamant before.”  
  


“Let’s just say Josie reminded me of a few things: namely that you do a lot for this school, and ask for very little in return. Out of all the people to get stuck with Alyssa, it shouldn’t be you.” Hope’s heart twinges, fluttering like a moth trapped by something it doesn’t understand. “I found a couple of seniors who had rooms to themselves and persuaded them to share. Don’t ask how.” He sighs.

“Well, it’s what I’ve been trying to say all along.” Hope quips, swallowing. “I’ll be sure to give her my firstborn in thanks.”

Alaric shakes his head, smiling. “Have a good evening, Hope.”

Hope turns back to her desk and picks up the note so she can charm it to fly to Landon’s room:

_Sorry I’ve been difficult. Come over?_

_H_

A little while later there’s a soft knock on her door. Rather than calling out she goes over and opens the door herself.

“Hey.” Landon is dressed similarly to her: sweatpants and a t-shirt. He offers her a cautious half smile.

“Hey. Come in.” 

Landon walks in, a confused expression dawning his features. “Uh, am I going mad or has Alyssa’s existence vanished from this room? Wait–” He looks worried as he glances her way. “–did you do something to her?”

“Yes.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “I killed her, but you can’t tell anyone.” 

His eyes widen until she starts laughing, then he hits her arm. “Hope!”

She hits him back. “I can’t believe you would believe that! What do you think of me?!”  
  


“I didn’t really believe it…”  
  


“Sure.” She says, arms folded.

It serves to break the tension and they sit down on the bed together. “So, what the hell was going on this week, Hope?” His voice is mild, but confused.

She hesitates, not a huge fan of talking about her emotions. “Mostly stuff that has nothing to do with you. I wasn’t up to much socialisation this week when all my _social energy_ was getting drained by Alyssa. But, also…” She sighs. “Landon why does everyone seem to think I don’t care for you that much?”

His brow furrows, but underneath the expression, buried, is an anxiousness that Hope can sense. “What?”

“During camping, Raf said some things. About you not thinking I’ll ever open up to you–”

“Don’t listen to Raf–”

“–He’s your _best friend_ , Landon. That counts for something even if I know he’s feeling bitter towards me right now.” Landon stares at the floor. “And the other day in the library, everyone thinking it was laughable that I would ever prioritise you… it just hurts my feelings.” She squeezes the last words out, finding them uncomfortable to admit. 

Landon swallows. “Hope. I understand where you’re coming from, but you _did_ just spend the whole week ignoring me." Hope opens her mouth to protest but he continues speaking quickly, as if wishing to expel all the words at once. "I do feel like you often withhold things from me, perhaps sometimes it's to protect me, but other times it just feels like you don’t care to tell me, or you don’t trust me enough. You’re hard to understand Hope, I can’t figure you all out on my own.”

Hope lets his words sit heavily in the air for a minute. “I guess it is a bit fairytale to think that someone could just _get me_.” She says in a small voice.

“I didn’t take you for a fairytale girl, Hope Mikaelson.” Landon says wryly.

She takes his hand, squeezing it. “I’ll try harder to open up. I promise.” 

He nods. “And I’m sorry I made you feel bad because of my insecurities, it’s just…” He exhales, smiling weakly. “You’re Hope Mikaelson. I’m Landon Kirby. It’s hard to understand _why_ you want me. So it’s easy to convince myself that you _don’t_ sometimes…” His voice trails off frailily.

“Landon, of course I want you.” She feels a surge of emotion: love, remorse, confliction, and most of all, an _urgency_ to reassure him, to show him she cares. She presses forward into him, cupping his jaw and sliding her mouth against his. They kiss deeply for a few minutes until Landon pulls her onto his lap.

“You’re so beautiful, I–” He whispers shakily and she silences him with a kiss. 

“Shhh. Just focus on me, okay?” She begins to grind slowly on him as they kiss, feeling him harden beneath her. She nips his lip and he moans into her mouth. His fingers dance hesitantly at the bottom of her shirt and she grins, sitting back to peel it off. His eyes boggle at the sight of her breasts. “Landon you’ve seen me in a bra before.” 

“I know, it never gets any less incredible though.” Her chest warms with his sweetness.

“Well...it’s only going to get more incredible.” She unclips her bra and his mouth drops open.

She guides him through it with soothing tones, directing his fumbling fingers and pressing kisses along his neck. At the end when he comes he slides out of her breathlessly, peeling off the condom and carefully tying it off. 

“I’m guessing, you uh, didn’t…” He mumbles, embarrassed. 

“No. But it would have been astonishing if I had done on your first time.” She replies kindly.

“Right.” His face is flushed. “I’m just gonna take a shower, but thank you, that was _definitely_ incredible, for me, anyway–”

“For me too.” She pulls him into a quick kiss, stroking his face. He nods, smiling impishly as he finally seems to relax. 

She watches him go, the sheen of sweat on his skin glinting under the mellow lights.

Moments later, there’s a knock on her door.

  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a loooong one but its in my baby Josie's pov so I kinda had to.
> 
> Enjoy!

“You’re really deserting me– _again_?”

From her position lying flat on her bed, Josie watches as Lizzie adjusts the see-through, white satin shirt she’s wearing.

“No need to file for abandonment charges, I’m just going on a date.” Lizzie replies, eyes on the mirror. Or, rather, herself _._ “Which lipstick colour?” She spins around, holding up a blood red and a peachy pink.

Josie stares unenthusiastically back at her. “ _Come on._ ” Lizzie huffs. “Sebastian will be here any minute!”

Josie sighs, pushing herself up and padding over to her dresser. She starts to unbutton her school shirt. “Not the red, your skin is too pale. It washes you out.”

“Duly noted.” Lizzie replies with a raised eyebrow. “You’re snarky today, what’s up?”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Josie says, tapping her cheek as she stands in her lace bra. “It’s a Friday night: I have exactly _zero_ plans and all my friends are off with their significant others. Including my _sister_ who previously promised she’d chill with me tonight!” 

Lizzie makes an apologetic face. “What about MG?” 

“Gone to see a movie with Kym.”  
  


“Raf?” 

Josie makes a face. “I wouldn’t exactly call us besties.”

Lizzie chuckles, then her expression turns serious. “Honestly, Jo, I think the best thing you could do tonight is take it easy. The past week has been tough on you, what with your injury and exams– why don’t you just read a little and get an early night?”

Josie is aimlessly running her finger along a row of Lizzie’s CDs. There’s a lot of Rihanna and Britney. “I don’t know, I just feel jittery and restless.”

“Yeah, that’s because you drink about five cups of coffee a day.” Lizzie accuses, turning to put on her lipstick. “Including one just an hour ago.”

“It’s a liking of mine.” Josie mutters. 

“It’s an _addiction_.”

“Whatever.” She examines herself in their floor length mirror. “Do you think my boobs are too small?”

“What?” Lizzie asks exasperatedly.

Josie lifts and examines her breasts before letting them drop with a sigh. “I mean, they’re no double Ds like Hope’s. Maybe that’s what’s he’s into–”

“Would you stop?” Lizzie cuts in. “Who cares what that hobbit thinks? Seriously? He’s lucky any girl even looks his way.”

Josie just frowns, pulling at the skin of her arm. As usual, Lizzie’s words wash over her with little to no effect. She wasn’t dumped with no more than a couple of days' consideration by a boy she thought had started to have genuinely strong feelings for her. Lizzie has never been dumped. Unless she counts that time when they were twelve; Lizzie had been dating a witch called Gregor who dumped her with a note passed in class:

_Sorry lizzie we can’t go out anymore._

_I’m gay_

_love Greg_   
  


She supposes Raf sort of dumped Lizzie. But they weren’t actually dating. If _that_ was a dumping then Raf technically dumped Josie too– he just never got around to telling her. 

“Hello? Josie?”

She clicks back into the present time. “What?”

“Sebastian just knocked. Could you put a shirt on?” Lizzie is standing by the door looking impatient. 

“Why? Threatened he’s going to fall into my arms instead?” She jokes. Lizzie just raises an eyebrow so she rolls her eyes and pulls a band t-shirt on. Another knock sounds out and Lizzie opens the door. Sebastian stands there, smirk in place, wearing a long dark coat over a white shirt with black floral print. 

“Elizabeth.” He greets and Lizzie semi-melts like usual. Josie finds it a bit irritating how he always speaks as though other people aren’t privy to his secret joke. 

“Josette.” He nods.

“Just Josie is fine.” She replies, not for the first time. Then she glances properly at Lizzie’s full outfit and huffs, noticing the black flared jeans she’s wearing.“Lizzie, those are _my_ jeans.” She hisses.

Lizzie ignores her, plucking her leather jacket and grey scarf off the hook on the back of the door.

“Bye, sis. And _no more coffee._ ”

The door shuts and Josie is left alone. 

She steps out of her skirt and pulls on some comfy leggings. The silence presses around her, both comforting and terrifying. 

The dark spellbook Vardemus gave her seems to call to her from under the bed. It’s an urge she can’t quite seem to sate, especially in moments like these when it feels as though no one could care any less what she’s doing.

_No. Not tonight._

Experimenting with dark spells is an intoxicating feeling: power that heats her veins and pinpoints her focus. But afterwards, she feels drained to the bone. Lizzie was right about one thing: tonight she needs to rest.

She decides to pay Hope a quick visit and see if Alyssa has left without issue. Maybe she’ll even want to hang out if she and Landon haven’t made up yet. There's also something she wants to ask her.

Outside Hope’s door she knocks softly, praying she’s not disturbing anything. For a second she doesn’t hear any sound coming from inside, and Josie’s hopes drop more than she expects them to. She must be at Landon’s.

She knocks again, just in case, and that’s when she hears a flurry of movement– feet hitting the carpet and a drawer being opened and shut–before Hope pulls the door open abruptly. 

“Josie.” She breathes out, looking rather flushed in a way that is uncommon for Hope. Her long hair is a bit tangled and her t-shirt is on backwards. 

“Hey, you alright?” Josie asks, peering behind Hope. “Why’s your window open? It’s November.” Hope leans to the side, obscuring her view of the bedroom. 

“It was stuffy in here. Did you need something?” Her blue eyes stare intently.

Josie is a bit stumped. “No, I– well I see Alyssa is all moved out.” 

Hope eyes crinkle as she smiles. “Yep. And I hear I have you to thank for that.”

“Maybe…” She feels a little bashful.  
  


“Thanks Jo.” Hope says softly. “Really. I owe you one.”

“Well actually, I need to ask you for a favour.”

Hope stands up straight, crossing her arms. “Sure. Anything.”

“Which days do you train with my dad?”

“Uh... Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. This week we gave them a miss because of midterms, but we’re having one tomorrow. Why?”

“Do you think maybe you could give me some quick self-defence lessons – after you’re done with my dad? Just a couple times a week.”

Hope smiles. “What brought this on?” 

“I just–” She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “–don’t want to feel so _physically_ weak anymore.”

“Okay.” Hope nods. “But we train early, so that means no Saturday lie-in.”

“I’m not big on staying in bed once the thoughts start whirring anyway.” Josie responds happily.

“And this isn't an excuse to go diving into dangerous situations just because I’m teaching you how to throw a punch.” Hope says, eyes narrowing. 

Josie gasps. “What do you think of me?”

“I think you’re reckless.”

“Hardly.” They smile at each other. “Do you wanna watch a movie or something? I’m all alone cus Lizzie’s gone–”

“I can’t, sorry.” Hope cuts in, looking apologetic. “Landon is taking a shower but he’ll be back any minute.”

“Oh.” She looks at her feet. “You guys made up then?”

“Yes.” Hope says, not unkindly, but obviously unwilling to offer further detail.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Feeling a little awkward, Josie starts to walk away. 

“Jo–” She turns around. She can’t be sure but Hope seems a little anxious. Then her face clears. “I’ll see you tomorrow, 8am sharp.” She winks.

Josie goes back to her room. She stands, hesitating for a moment, before reaching under her bed.

***

She’s woken up at about 2am when Lizzie comes home, kissing Sebastian against their bedroom door and giggling before wishing him a good night. 

It only makes her feel lonelier. 

***

Josie has some regrets in the morning when her alarm goes off at 7:30am, bleeding into her sleep. 

“Josie, what the _hell_.” Lizzie grumbles into her pillow. She turns it off quickly and lies there, briefly considering bailing on Hope. Her body feels lethargic still from the spells she practiced last night. She had been learning some new–and particularly violent– incantations. Should any more monsters come calling, she’ll be prepared. A couple of weeks ago, after a lot of experimentation, she managed to perform a spell that contained the effects of the dark magic to only her body. It felt wrong for Lizzie to be waking up with inflamed, peeling skin or agonizing stomach aches because of _her_ actions. It doesn’t stop her own body from suffering though, and she hasn’t had the chance to relieve it through the Mora Miserium yet.

Still, she was the one who asked Hope to train her, and Josie isn’t one to flake out on people. She pulls herself out of bed, and finds a note on her bedside table:

_I forgot to mention, wear long sleeves, it’s extra cold in morning_

_Hope_

She’s doodled a smiley face at the bottom, and it helps lift Josie’s mood, just a little.

It’s barely light outside, and the sky is a pale, unpromising grey. She dresses quickly in a ratty blue sweatshirt and leggings, and makes herself an instant coffee using the kettle they have in their room. Lizzie snores softly, her clothes from last night scattered across the floor. Josie picks up her jeans with a tut, folding them.

It’s a Saturday morning so the school is silent. She feels like a ghost as she walks through it, still shaking off the sludge of sleep. Down on the dock, Hope appears to be practicing backflips while holding a long stick. Josie blanches, hoping she doesn’t make her try anything like that. 

“It’s ten past eight.” Hope calls out, without turning around. “You’re late.” Her voice sounds stern but when she flips again, landing directly in front of Josie, there’s a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Hardly.” Josie retorts. “Morning, Hope.”

“Morning.” Hope’s cheeks are flushed red–whether from exertion or the cold she doesn’t know– and her eyes are startlingly bright. She’s wearing a baggy camo t-shirt over her skintight, white undershirt, and Josie realises with a pinch of her heart that it’s probably Landon’s.

“So what are we doing today?” She asks, distracting herself by tying her hair up in a ponytail. “Nothing involving pointy sticks I hope.”

Hope twirls the stick, examining Josie thoughtfully. “No, I’d like to keep both of my eyes, thank you.”

Josie huffs, mildly offended. “I thought we could start with the basics.” She drops the stick and picks up a pair of boxing gloves, throwing them to her.

Josie only catches one. Hope raises an eyebrow, amused. “Okay. So first things first: your stance.” She says as Josie puts on the gloves, blushing slightly. “You want to keep one leg behind you at all times, that means you have something to fall back on rather than falling on your ass.” 

“Which leg?”

“The dominant one– your most stable leg.” Josie gets into position and Hope nods. “Right, now the hands. One should be kept in front of your face and throat area, as a punch to the nose will make your vision blurry, and a punch to the throat will really destabilize you– if you're punching someone else, those are good areas to aim for.”

Josie awkwardly holds her left hand in front of her face, feeling a bit like a puppet that’s lost its strings. 

“Now your other hand goes for the punch.” 

“Right now?” Josie says self consciously.

“Yep.”

“Don’t you want to hold up the pad?” Josie says, nodding to where it lies on the deck.

Hope smirks. “I think I’ll be okay.”

Josie stands there stiffly for a moment but Hope makes an impatient gesture with her hand, so she pulls her arm back and swings gracelessly at her. Hope lets the punch hit her shoulder, looking very unimpressed.

“What the hell was that?”

“What?” 

“Why did you pull your arm back like that? I could see the punch coming a mile away.”

“Well obviously. You just told me to punch you.”

“Yeah, but you pulled your arm back like an arrow on a bow. That’s just giving your enemy more reaction time!”

Josie folds her arms. “I think it adds more umph to the punch.” 

“ _Umph?_ If anything it takes away from the punch because there’s more distance for your arm to travel.”

“Fine!” Josie throws her arms up. “How do I do it then?” 

“Watch me.” Hope takes her stance before jabbing fast, bringing her fist to a halt centimeters away from Josie’s nose. She flinches away. “If you’re going for the nose or throat, you punch straight, hard and fast.” Hope retracts her hand. “If you’re aiming for the stomach– good for temporary winding– or the jaw, you’re gonna wanna have more of an upwards action, coming from below.” She demonstrates slowly, bringing her fist to rest against Josie’s stomach, which jumps underneath her hand, and then up to her chin, tilting her face up and meeting her eyes.

Josie stares sulkily down at her. Hope laughs, giving her cheeks a quick squeeze before standing back once more. 

“You try.”

“Technically if I was going to punch _you_ in the stomach, I would have to come from,” Josie swings her own fist slowly, making a sound like an aeroplane, “above.”

“I suppose.” Hope says huffily. Josie grins. Her height is the only thing she trumps Hope in.“But most of your opponents won’t be shorter than you.” 

Josie is still grinning so Hope rolls her eyes. “Are you gonna give it a go, or not?”

“Yeah, yeah, give me a second.” She gets into position, holding her hands up. “So, was Landon mad that you ignored him all week?” 

Hope seems thrown by the switch in conversation, but only momentarily. “Not really. Landon doesn’t get mad much.” She replies evenly.

“Why _did_ you ignore him?” Josie throws an experimental punch, jabbing forward like Hope showed her.

“Better.” Hope remarks, catching her hand easily. “But try and control your arm more. Aim straight.”

Josie nods, looking at her expectantly. Hope sighs. “Do we have to talk about this?”

“Talking is good. In _all_ types of relationships.” Josie replies casually. She can feel Hope’s frustration but she’s deliberately ignoring it.

“Thanks, Dr Seuss. But I don’t need relationship advice from you.”

At that Josie throws a fast punch and hits Hope in the nose. Her eyes widen in shock as Hope stumbles back, holding her nose and swearing. She expected to be blocked.

“Shit! Sorry! I thought you’d–”  
  


“–It’s fine.” Hope says, blinking as her eyes water slightly. “Good aim.”

“Uh, thanks.” Josie replies sheepishly. 

After a little more practice (in which Hope uses the punching pad) they head up towards the school together. 

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” Josie asks, because her companion has been kind of quiet. She finds that Hope quite often falls into her thoughts.

“Going to enjoy my Alyssa-free room and do some painting.” Hope smiles happily. “And I guess more studying.” She sighs. Of course. The second hellish week of midterms.

“At least we have something to look forward to on Friday.” Josie offers. Hope looks confused, scrunching up her eyebrows. “Raf’s party?”

“Raf’s throwing a party?”

Josie rolls her eyes playfully. “It’s his 18th on Thursday. The wolves are throwing a huge one in honour of their Alpha, and as an end of midterms celebration. Didn’t Landon mention it last night?”

Hope looks away. “We were kinda busy with, um, things.”

Josie gets an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach– she’s sure Hope is hiding something from her. It makes her feel like crap because she thought they were being open with each other now.

“Right.” She mumbles. They’ve reached the twins’ door. “So, I guess I’ll see you...when I see you.”

Hope just looks at her, her eyes flitting around her face. She feels naked under her gaze and swallows awkwardly. 

“Take a nap, Jo. Please.” Hope eventually says, reaching up and ever so delicately tracing a finger across her cheek. “You always look so tired at the moment.”

Josie makes a noise that’s caught between an uncomfortable cough and sound of surprise. “Gee thanks.” She deflects, her eyes avoiding Hope’s.

“You know what I mean. The body has limits.” She frowns and Josie needs to get away before Hope starts reading her mind and finds out what she’s been doing.

“Don’t worry.” She fumbles with the door handle behind her and pushes it open. “Seeya, Hope.”

Lizzie is buttoning up her shirt, eyes sleepy, when Josie walks in, still feeling jittery from the interaction.

“Was that Hope? What were you doing sneaking off to see _her_?”

The way she words it like an accusation gets to her. “I wasn’t _sneaking off_ , Lizzie. I don’t have to tell you every detail of everything I do.”

Lizzie crosses her arms. “Right. What is _up_ with you at the moment? Your moods are so up and down!”

  
“Annoying, isn’t it?” She snaps back.  
  


Lizzie closes her mouth in a hard line, a brief look of hurt passing over her face. Then she turns around in a flurry, heading towards the door with a stiff “I’m going to breakfast.”

Josie flops back onto her bed, considering just going back to sleep and cancelling the day there and then–even though it’s only 9:15am. She knows the reason she feels so agitated is that she’s yet to drain the dark energy from her body. She can feel it throbbing beneath her skin, worsening with time. 

Sighing, she gets up, changing quickly into dark blue jeans and a purple top with puffy sleeves. When she looks in the mirror she’s startled by the tired bruising under her eyes, and fumbles through her makeup bag for a concealer. 

Her dad’s office is locked, obviously, but she made a copy of his key two years ago. Stepping inside, she feels like a guilty intruder, but the feeling is more fleeting than usual. 

Relief washes through her like cool air as soon as her hands touch the sandclock. She inhales deeply, her body clicking back into its natural grooves. Immediately, she feels guilty about the way she spoke to Lizzie. She’ll have to make it up to her later.

***

She’s been studying _Coven Origins_ for a couple of hours, with no sign of Lizzie, when she hears a knock on her door. She sits back in her chair, rubbing her aching eyes and wondering what Hope could want. The only other person who ever visits their room is Landon, though recently it's with a vaguely guilty disposition that makes her miss the times they could hang out casually, or MG, but she assumes he’s with Lizzie right now. 

She’s undeniably shocked to find Jed standing there awkwardly, hands shoved deep in his jean pockets.

“Oh. Hi?” She runs quickly through her mind for any possible reason he might be here, but comes up empty. 

“Hey, Josie. How you doin’?” He looks soft, dressed in a brown plaid shirt, semi unbuttoned over a grey t-shirt. He runs his long fingers through his hair and Josie gets the impression that it’s a nervous tick of his. She’s not used to this version of Jed, or the way he’s been acting recently towards her: complimenting her, giving her gentle touches or looks.  
  


“I’m okay, a little tired. Just doing some revision.”

He nods. “Yeah, of course. Cool.” 

She stands there for another few seconds, waiting for him to speak again, but he doesn’t. “Did you need something, Jed?”

“Right, sorry. Do you have a moment or are you too busy?” 

“I have a moment.” She hesitates. “Do you want to come in?” 

“Yeah, thanks.” He smiles, his shoulders relaxing a little as he slides past. The scent of pine needles washes over her and she inhales. She’s never agreed with Lizzie that the wolves smell like wet dog. She’s always thought they smell... free. Of course, that’s not the case at all. They’re trapped by a curse, trapped by the guilt of what they’ve all done: been the cause of a death. She counts herself lucky everyday that she’s a witch.

Jed is glancing around her room, making her suddenly self conscious, it feels very personal to have him in here. She prays she hasn’t left any underwear out. 

“So, what can I do for you?” She opts to sit on her bed instead of stand awkwardly. Jed seems to be eyeing her plants. 

“Quite a collection you’ve got here.” He says, instead of answering her question.

“Yeah, they’re practically my babies.”

A smile twitches at his mouth before quickly vanishing. “And you say they have...healing powers.”

“With the right blends and concoctions, yes. Plants have historically been used as medicine for centuries, but modern day people–supernatural or not– overlook this, preferring pills or spells that often don’t get to the root of the problem. Magic _and_ nature, that’s the key.” 

Jed smiles softly, running his finger along a cacti, and Josie has a brief sense of Deja Vu– Hope, weeks ago, playing nervously with her plants as she asks if they can be friends again.

“Plus,” She says, shaking the memory off. “As a siphoner, it can’t hurt to have some tricks up my sleeve that don’t rely only on magic.”   
  


Jed nods, simply staring at the plants, before he abruptly asks: ‘Do you think you could make something to calm me down?” He seems embarrassed, refusing to meet her eyes.

Josie doesn’t reply immediately, thinking of the best way to approach this. “You mean, your mood swings? You don’t seem so bad recently.”

Jed used to be an asshole. There was no way around that fact. Alpha Wolf, lazy, aggressive. He was confrontational with vampires and disregarding of witches. Josie’s interactions with him had been minimal, on occasion he had made a lewd comment about her legs when she wore a skirt, or called Lizzie a schizo. He slept with a lot of girls, though as far as she knew, didn’t date any of them seriously until Alyssa Chang towards the end of last year. 

Beating up Landon was the turning point for him. He ran away from school, shamefaced, and Emma had to use a Locator Spell to track him down. He started therapy sessions with her. What was said, she obviously doesn’t know, but he actually became a friend to Rafael, and eventually, the group. 

Yeah I’m tryna be...a better person, I guess.” He finally meets her eyes and she feels absorbed by the darkness of them. “Being a wolf, especially an Alpha, it’s easy to give into rage, and _power_.” He clenches his jaw. “No one stopped me so I thought, why not? Raf challenged me in a way that everyone else was scared to do. At first I resented him for it, hated him–and Landon– but then I guess, it was a relief not to have all that control.”

She’s shocked he’s sharing all this with her. “So why do you need help now?”

“Things are better this year, but I still feel the Alpha in me. When something doesn’t go my way, if I struggle understanding something in class that everyone else is getting, or one of the pack members makes a remark about how Raf beat me up...I feel like I’m gonna snap, Josie.”

Josie chews her lip thoughtfully and Jed’s eyes flick down to watch the action. “I understand. You should know, Jed, that the fact you _want_ to be better, and are trying to be, already proves that you are.”  
  


An indistinguishable emotion flashes in his eyes and he nods curtly. 

“But of course, I’ll try to help you.” Josie continues quickly. “Just let me think for a moment.” She should be revising but honestly _Coven Origins_ is a piece of cake for her, and working with her plants is much more intellectually stimulating. “You can take a seat, Jed.”

She heads over to her desk while he hesitatingly sits down on her bed. She retrieves her special notebook, the one Lizzie got her for her 16th. It has a worn, brown cover with a flower embroidered on it, the pages are thick and filled with sketches and musings surrounding her personal work on spells, and more recently, plant magic. 

She taps a pencil against her lip as she flicks through the pages silently for a few minutes. “I suppose we could go down the scent route. If that doesn’t work I could concoct something drinkable, but it would take a lot more time. Certain flowers such as Lavender and Rosemary have soothing smells. I could put them in a pouch, use magic to enhance them and keep them fresh. But to make it more effective, I’d have to mix in smells that _you_ find calming. We need something that your mind immediately associates with a tension release.”

Jed stares at his hands and mumbles something.

“What?”  
  


“ _Jasmine._ My mom had this perfume, I think it was jasmine. When I was a kid and she’d read to me in bed, or hug me, it was all I could smell.”  
  


She smiles sadly, noting how his head is curled into his body, hiding his face. “Jasmine is a gorgeous scent, I have a body mist that’s jasmine I think–”

“–I know.” Jed cuts her off.

“You do?” 

“Yes. I can smell it every time it’s on your skin. I think, partly, it’s why I feel so calm around you.” He’s blushing now. Josie has never seen Jed blush before. She swallows and nods. “Jasmine it is.”

***

Josie has two exams everyday the following week except Thursday and Friday, where she only has one. Hope and Josie therefore decide to postpone their next training session until Friday morning: her afternoon exam that day was on _Charms_ , a subject she found easy.

By Wednesday Josie is struggling and coffee has become her sustaining life force, much to Lizzie’s disapproval. Things have been chilly between the twins since Saturday. That day Lizzie ignored her at dinner in favour of speaking to Hope. This caused Hope to send Josie a curious look, who just shrugged her shoulders, feigning confusion. She felt Hope’s eyes on her sporadically for the rest of dinner.

Thursday morning Josie is in the kitchen attempting to bake Raf a chocolate cake when Hope strolls in. 

“Hey, there you are! I’ve been looking for you. I thought we were going to study for _Biological Magic_ together?”

Josie barely looks up; she’s focusing on getting the measurement of flour perfect, tongue caught between her teeth. Music plays softly from a speaker beside her.

“We were?” She replies distractedly.

“Well I definitely made plans with someone who looked and spoke just like you, but maybe it was your doppelganger?” Hope pokes her head over Josie’s shoulder, eyeing the cake mix. “Is this for Raf?” She asks, warmness slipping into her tone. 

“Yep.”  
  


“That’s sweet Jo, you guys aren’t even close.”

Josie turns, dusting her hands on her pink apron and leaning against the counter. “I know, but it’s his 18th and everyone is so distracted by exams, I feel bad.” She sighs. “Did you get him anything?”

Hope looks guilty. “Um, no. We haven’t spoken much recently.” Josie looks at her disapprovingly. “Just because it’s his birthday doesn’t mean I have to forget what a dick he was!”  
  


“Actually it’s exactly the reason to forget that. How long are you two gonna be at a standstill? You’re both too stubborn to make the first move.”

Hope fiddles with Josie’s apron strings and huffs. “Last time I chose to move past something irritating he said, he went and pissed me off again!”

“So just for today and tomorrow then, be nice?” Josie flicks her on the cheek. “And help me with this damn cake because I’m terrible at baking.”

It’s when they’re bickering over the clumpiness of the mixture and Josie – flushed, frustrated and covered in flour – scowls and barks _“You do it then, Gordon Ramsey!”_ that Hope throws her a smile so disarmingly soft and bright it leaves her chest fluttering. 

***

  
  


Raf is bashfully pleased with the cake when she presents it at lunchtime, and gives Josie a quick one armed hug.

“Hope helped.” She supplies helpfully, even when Hope shoots her a look.

“Oh. Thanks Hope.” Raf says, sounding surprised and hopeful but Hope only nods, to which he deflates. Josie pinches her side, hard, but Hope bats her hand away. There’s a stilted silence within the group which MG breaks. 

“What’s that on your wrist bro?”

“Landon made it for me.” Raf says, grinning and holding up his arm. It’s a leather bracelet, with two silver charms hanging from it: a wolf and a bird.

“So cute!” Josie gushes at the same time that Lizzie says “Lame. Can we eat cake now?”

Landon eats so much cake he looks mildly nauseous by the end of lunch. Nevertheless he gives Josie a chocolaty grin and a thumbs up. She tuts and wipes at his lip with a tissue. “Why on earth did you eat so much?”

“Quality cake deserves appreciation.” He replies simply.

After lunch, Josie, Lizzie and Hope are heading to their _Biological Magic_ exam when they hear a whistle from behind them. 

“Josie!” 

Josie unlinks her arm from Hope’s to turn around. She sees Jed detach from his pack and walk over. She steps forward to meet him.

“Hey Jed. Sorry I haven’t got round to doing the jasmine pouch yet–”

“–No, no, don’t worry.” He glances around to make sure no one heard her. “I wanted to formally invite you to pre drink with me and the pack tomorrow, before Raf’s party? It’ll be in my room.”

Josie raises her eyebrows. “But I thought only the coolest kids get invited to your drinking sessions?” She asks teasingly.

He grins. “Hey, you’re very cool Josie Saltzman.”

“Excuse me?” She hears Lizzie’s voice from behind her. “We have an exam to get to?”

“I’ll think about it.” She smirks at Jed before turning back to the other girls. Lizzie looks exasperated but Hope’s face is expressionless, bored even. She won’t relink arms with Josie though, choosing to cross hers instead.

Josie sighs. She’s never met someone harder to read than Hope Mikaelson.

  
  


***

At around 9pm that evening, Josie is heading back from the library, ready to call it a night and looking forward to being done with exams the next day. She’s passing an open window in the hallway when suddenly two feet come haphazardly through it, bent at an awkward angle as they try to find their balance on the window sill. 

“What the hell?” Her heart jumps slightly in surprise. She’s reaching towards a wall to siphon when the rest of the body comes sliding through also, along with a familiar face.

“Landon!?”  
  


Landon salutes her, before stumbling forward as he lands on the carpeted floor. She steps forward to help him but he finds his balance, waving her off. “Josie,” He mumbles. “Hey.”  
  


“Did you just come from the roof?” She asks, laughter in her voice. Landon doesn’t reply, favouring instead to come closer to her, smiling. He seems adorably ruffled, his curly hair spilling over his forehead and his cheeks reddened from the cold. 

Josie notes a suspicious sway in his step and brightness to his eyes. “Are you drunk?” Her voice is scandalized. 

“Maybee.” He quips back. “Why, you gonna report me, Miss Saltzman?” 

“It’s a Thursday!” She laughs, putting her bag down as he reaches her, rocking forward on his feet. She steadies him with a hand on his shoulder, raising her eyebrows. 

He shrugs. “It’s Raf’s birthday. The big one-eight.” He sounds out the ‘t’ with extra emphasis. “He got a bottle of whiskey from town, and well, he’s my brother, we had to celebrate. I just came down to pee.”

“He’s also got an exam on _Moon cycles_ tomorrow.” She shakes her head, before focusing on another detail. “He got served?”

Landon laughs. “Raf’s been getting served since he was sixteen.”

“I probably won’t even get served when I'm twenty-one.” Josie sighs. 

Landon takes a step closer. “It’s the cheeks.” He teases, pinching them between his forefingers and thumbs. She bats his hand away, rolling her eyes but smiling. He drops his hands to her shoulders, and fiddles with the collar of her blouse, seemingly lost in thought.

Josie waits for him to speak. She’s never seen him this drunk: there had been a couple of parties last year, in the small moments of respite between Malivore monsters, but Landon usually only had a few beers. In the summer they’d on occasion hung around the off-licence in town and persuaded a friendly college student to buy them some raspberry ciders, then drank them by the lake. But this was _spirits_ , and judging from the smell of him, Landon had drunk a lot. 

“Do you remember when we danced?” He asks abruptly. She leans back to catch his eyes; they’re a little hazy but there’s also a pointed focus in them.

She can only think of one time. “At the 80s dance?” He nods. “What about it?”

He shrugs and pushes a curl of hair behind her ear. She stiffens, his touch eliciting a feeling in her that she’s been trying to move past. “It’s just...a good memory of mine.”

“Mine too.” She replies cautiously.

“Do you think we could do it again?”

“Dance?” 

“Yeah.”  
  


“Sure,” She laughs nervously. “At the next school dance I’ll give you a spin.”

“No.” He scrunches up his face, clearly displeased. “ _Now_.”  
  


“Landon... you’re drunk, it’s late.”

He holds his wrist up, almost whacking Josie in the face as he does so. “It’s _nine-fifteen._ ” He whines, showing her his watch.

“I have to be up early–”

“–for what?” 

“Training.” He’s not focusing on what she’s saying, favouring instead to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her into him.

“One dance?” He whispers. 

“Fine.” She prays that no one walks down the hall. This would be a strange one to explain.

They sway silently for a minute, Josie breathing in the scent that she’s missed: wood and mint. Landon’s fingers dance up and down her back, pressing her closer. It all feels a bit too intimate. Confusingly so.

“Why–this is...I don’t get it.” He breathes out, sounding conflicted.

“What?” Josie asks. He isn’t making any sense.

“Remember what we almost did that night?” He chooses to say instead. She blushes.

“Of course.” She mumbles.

“Why didn’t we? You changed your mind…”

This isn’t a memory that she particularly feels like dredging up. But she supposes he deserves to know. “In Penelope’s Burn book I found the song you wrote for Hope. I realised that she must have been a student, one that dated you.” He whispers a quiet _oh_ into her ear.

“It all made heartbreaking sense in that moment.” She sighs. “Explained why she always looked at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know...like she felt betrayed but also guilty.”

Landon is silent for a few moments. “Sometimes I wish we had.” He whispers, so quietly it’s almost like a passing breeze. Josie doesn’t say anything, her heart thumping in her throat. “Sometimes I think it should have been you, not her.”  
  


His words don’t compute fully with her at first. Then she freezes, her heart taking a dive into her stomach. “Instead of– did you?” She steps back, feeling shaky. Surely not, it had only been a few weeks since– “Did you and Hope have sex?”  
  


He nods, and although he’s obviously still very drunk, Josie thinks she sees a hint of sadness in his green-grey eyes.

“Landon, man, what’s taking so long?” She hadn’t heard Raf come through the window but suddenly he’s _there_ , breaking through the haze of her moment with Landon.

“I–” With effort, she turns to face Raf. “I’m guessing you’re drunk too?” The words come out snappy.

Raf shrugs and grins, but he seems less unsteady on his feet than Landon. Probably his size– higher tolerance. 

“I suggest you both get back to your room before my dad catches you.” Josie says, needing to get away. “Make sure Landon drinks at least two glasses of water before bed.”  
  


Without another look at her ex, she pushes past them both, feeling the tears pressing insistently behind her eyes.

***

She almost doesn’t go to her training session with Hope the next morning, but some masochistic part of her needs to see Hope, as if by seeing her she’ll understand...something. Anything.

“Late again, Saltzman.” Hope teases when she arrives on the dock. “Remind me when I started abiding by _your_ time schedule?”

Josie just drops her water bottle and mutters a quick _sorry_. Hope frowns. “You alright? Did you sleep badly?”

“I slept fine.” She slept terribly actually: unwanted images of Hope and Landon _together_ playing through her mind.

“Right.” Hope is looking at her with the care and concern she really doesn’t want from her right now.

“Are we going to start or not?” Hope flinches at Josie’s tone, then takes a step towards her.

“Jo, what is it? Something’s up. You can tell me.” Hope’s fingers touch her hips gently: featherlight, hesitant. She’s peering into her eyes with her unravelling, gorgeous blues one and Josie suddenly feels choked up she’s so hurt and angry and _betrayed._

“No,” She stumbles back. “No– I’ve gotta go.” The tears are falling now and Hope looks devastated.

“Josie– _please_.” She makes to follow her but Josie shakes her head rapidly, wiping roughly at her eyes as she walks backwards. Hope stops.

“I’ll see you at the party later.” Josie says, before fleeing the scene.

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

“Man this party is going to be a rager, I can feel it in my bones. Did you see how many people were already heading down there?” 

“End of midterms bro, and the King Alpha’s birthday, what did you expect?” Landon sounds equally excited.

“I told you I hate it when you call me that.” He fake swings at Landon who ducks before tackling Raf around the waist. 

Hope studies her nails in boredom as she lies on Landon’s bed, waiting for the guys to be ready. Whoever said girls take longer was definitely a man trying to save face.

Landon is dressed, and she can admit he looks pretty cute in his creamy brown sweater, the collar and cuffs of a blue and red checkered shirt poking out. He’s got a touch too much gel in his hair though, his curls almost drowning in it.

Raf seems convinced he’s going to get laid tonight– “Tonight’s _the_ night, bro”– and has since switched through around eight different sweaters, complaining because it’s too cold to wear a t-shirt that shows off his biceps. 

“I swear to God Raf…” She says when he goes to change _yet again_. 

He holds up his hands defensively. “Fine, fine. I guess this will do.” _This_ is a form fitting striped sweatshirt with a half zip. He looks kinda preppy but she doesn’t doubt that he’ll catch the eye of more than a few girls. Raf has held back a lot when it comes to girls at the school, turning down dates and ignoring flirty glances. Especially after the Lizze Saltzman extravaganza.

She realises it’s probably mostly because of her, which only makes her all the more happy that he might be moving on.

(Although the way he looked her up and down when she first arrived to their room says otherwise).

She’s gone simple: her favourite navy cashmere sweater and her best jeans (she knows they fit her nicely in all the right places) plus some earrings that her Aunt Freya got her. It’s not like she has anyone to impress; Landon is like, perpetually impressed by her.

“Which one, Hope?” 

Sighing, she looks up. “What?” 

“Which one?” Landon shakes the two aftershave bottles he’s holding.

“Do I look like I care?”

“Come on, Hope.” Landon whines. “You’re a girl. Raf needs to get lucky tonight!”

“Not my problem.” To be honest she’s never really been that bothered about the smell of men’s aftershave, they’re always too overwhelming and in your face, especially with her wolf nose. 

Lighter perfumes are much more pleasant to the nose, like Josie’s, for example, delicate and enticing. Or people's natural scents were just fine.

Landon is giving her puppy dog eyes and she feels a bit bad for being short with him. It _is_ Raf’s birthday celebration after all, she should stop being such a scrooge. “Go for the _Hugo Boss_.” She says. Raf flashes her a quick smile and abides.

“Can we finally go now?” Hope asks, standing up. 

“Yes! All set.” Landon grins, practically bouncing on his toes. She’s surprised he’s ready to drink again. When she saw him at breakfast, he looked like death had chewed him up and then vindictively spat him back out to face the world as some kind of sallow, grey lump that was _not_ her boyfriend. 

Apparently the celebratory drink with Raf had been a little more than one drink. It seems that after drink number four Landon’s memories of the evening get very hazy.

However, several coffees and a mid day nap seems to have revived him well.

Walking through the woods she’s glad to be part wolf, because from the way her breath gathers in clouds she can tell it is bitterly cold. Landon is shivering, the hand she’s holding like an icicle. 

Raf claps him on the back. “Once you get a few drinks in you you’ll warm right up.”

Poor Josie and the witches were going to be cold, Hope thinks, her spirits dampening further when she thinks about her friend. All day she had searched for her, desperate to find out the cause of her breakdown on the dock, but Josie had been consistently elusive. Even with their exam, she must have slipped in late and left fast.

She didn’t want to ask anyone else for the sake of Jo’s privacy, but perhaps she will have to talk to Lizzie. It’s possible the twins had a big blowout. After all, they had been cold to each other all week. 

As they approach the Old Mill Hope can feel loud music thrumming through the forest (Gaga’s _Bad Romance_ ) and the sounds of a _lot_ of chattering voices. Raf was right: it was going to be a wild one.

“Right, what we drinking ladies and gents?” Rafael says as they reach the drinks table. All the wolves had chipped in and bought excessive amounts of alcohol. 

“Vodka coke for me.” Landon says eagerly. She shoots him a look. “What?”

“Shouldn’t you take it easy after last night?” 

“Oh c’mon Hope,” Raf cuts in. “Take the stick out of your ass for one night.”

She glares at him. The only thing restraining her from snapping something back is the fact that it’s his party.

“Babe,” Landon says, wrapping his arms around her. “It’s a Friday night, we can all sleep in tomorrow. Who cares?”

“Fine. Whatever.” She’s not going to relax until she sees Josie anyway, so she might as well have a drink to pass the time. Raf whoops and pours them all strong mixes.

“Yo, wassup birthday boy!” Kaleb appears, fist-bumping Raf and Landon in greeting. “And is that the ice queen I see having a drink?” His words are said in a way that Hope knows is only teasing. 

“Maybe.” She smiles. “Pretty intense party.” She gestures around with her hand.

“Definitely the best turn out we’ve had in a while. And your _boy_ is in charge of the music.” He says proudly, pointing at himself with his thumbs.

“That’s a lot of pressure.” 

“I can handle pressure.” He winks.

As the boys chat she whips her eyes quickly around the party, but can’t see Josie anywhere. She does, however, spot Lizzie, and heads over to her. 

She’s leaning against Sebastian, chatting casually to one of her sewing club friends. Sebastian seems content just to stand silently like an attractive corpse.

“Lizzie, hi.”

“Hope. I didn’t think you partied, isn’t that too high on the fun scale for you?” The witch Lizzie was speaking to chooses to scurry away.

“I’ve been known to dabble in fun occasionally. Listen, have you seen Josie today?”

Lizzie raises her eyebrows. “Duh. We share a room. Why?”

Hope hesitates. “It seemed like something was...bothering her this morning. I haven’t been able to find her all day.”  
  


Lizzie scoffs and takes a sip of her drink. “When _isn’t_ something bothering her at the moment? She’s been a pain in the ass recently.” Hope can tell she’s a couple of drinks in already. She frowns.

“Have you tried asking her what’s wrong?”

“ _Yes_ , and she just snaps at me!”

Somehow Hope thinks there’s more to it than that. “She didn’t come with you tonight then?”

Lizzie is distracted by Sebastian now, who’s whispering something in her ear. “What? Oh, no. She went to that drinks thing Jed was having. No invite for me of course.” 

Hope grits her teeth. Jed. He’s been rubbing her the wrong way recently.

She leaves the couple who’ve now progressed into making out and heads back to her own boyfriend, deciding to give it another half hour before she seeks out Josie herself.

The energy of the party is palpable; all three groups of students intermingling, vampires and wolves competing at who can scale the mill faster, witches turning the flames of the bonfire into a myriad of colours. 

Landon, already tipsy, pulls her in for a kiss when he sees her. He tastes like the sweetness of cheap cola. 

“Stop thinking.” He says, stroking her face.

“What?” She furrows her brow.

“I can tell you’re stressing about something. Just for tonight, let’s have some thoughtless fun, yeah?”

She supposes there’s no harm in that. For the next twenty minutes or so she actually attempts to relax, having enough drinks to soften the edges of life a little. She even dances with Kaleb and MG, who are seriously talented. Landon isn’t much of a dancer but he has some moves that are...unique. When he catches her laughing he grins and kisses her hard.

She breaks away from the kiss when she hears loud whoops and yells, turning to see the arrival of Jed and his friends. He’s carrying Josie bridal-style in his arms, who has a bottle of vodka in her hand and is tilting her head back, admiring the sky. 

“What the–” Lizzie has popped up beside her. “That dog has his hands all over her!” 

“ _Now_ the party can start!” Jed yells, and a bunch of the other wolves cheer. He puts Josie down with delicacy and she grins, falling into his chest. “Let’s get you something a little sweeter than that Vodka.” 

She looks nice in her denim skirt and tights, with a green turtleneck. They both watch as she takes Jed’s hand and he leads her to the drinks table.

Lizzie goes to follow them but Hope grabs her wrist. “You going over there and yelling at her because of whatever grudge you have right now won’t help anything.” She says seriously. “You’re drunk, Lizzie.”

Lizzie shakes her hand off but stops. “Whatever. I’m done being her sister for tonight. _You_ deal with her.” She leads Sebastian away.

Landon sighs from beside her. “I guess that’s the fun over then?” He says knowingly, watching Hope watch Josie. 

She tears her eyes away and meets Landon’s. “No, I’m just going to keep any eye on her. We can still have fun.” She pecks him on the lips to reassure him and he rewards her with a half smile. 

“Cool.”

And that’s what she does. She chats mindlessly with the guys while watching how effortlessly Josie has been accepted into the pack, talking and giggling with them in a circle. Hope laughs as a few of the wolves hold Raf up by his legs as he drinks from a keg, while also making sure Jed doesn’t put his hand any lower than Josie’s waist.

Jed is now nudging Josie and pointing to the fire, where a couple of witches are still making colours dance in the flames.

Josie rolls her eyes, mouthing “Child’s play.” She siphons him for a second before approaching the fire. A moment passes before all the flames shoot up at incredible speed into the night sky, exploding like fireworks to spell out the words _happy birthday Raf_. Everyone cheers, including Raf, and Jed looks impressed. 

“I think it’s time to amp this party up a bit.” He says, though Hope thinks it’s amped up just fine. He turns to where Kaleb is manning the music. “Hey Kaleb, put something with a dance tune on!” Kaleb shoots him a thumbs up.

Jed holds his hand out to Josie. “Would you care to dance, Miss Saltzman?” She takes it with a sweet smile.

Lizzie strolls back over. Hope can guess what she’s been doing if the pink lipstick across Sebastian’s face is anything to go by.

“Jesus this music is loud. If I didn’t know my dad was willingly turning a blind eye we’d be shut down in minutes.”

“This modern music is not of my taste.” Sebastian says, wrinkling his nose. “It’s so...obnoxious.”

Hope ignores them both, her eyes hooked on Josie.

She’s wild, but so painfully gorgeous, her hair sticking to her face, her lips smudged red, her movements free and unreserved in a way that Josie so rarely is. The Weeknd’s _Blinding Lights_ is playing at earbusting volume, and Josie is a blur as she dances beside Jed and the other wolves. 

Jed is grinning, spinning her occasionally and slinging his arms around his packmates. 

MG pops up between them. “Wow, Jose is having a great time!” 

“Are you mad?! She looks like she’s _on_ something!” Lizzie says. 

“Well, whatever she’s on, I want some of it!” 

“MG!” He laughs and darts away to hang out with Kaleb.

“I don’t get it,” Alyssa, who is slouching nearby, butts in. “Josie ‘mopey’ Saltzman has a drink for once and you all act like it’s the apocalypse. She’s not a china doll.”

“I don’t think any of us remember asking for _your_ opinion.” Lizzie snarks. 

Alyssa smiles, all sharp teeth and hidden motives. “Awh Lizzie, must be hard not having the attention for once, right?”

“Both of you shut up. You’re giving me a headache.” Hope says, pushing through them to walk to the drinks table. She grabs a cider and turns around only to be met by Josie.

“Jo. Hey.” She exhales, running her eyes across her face. Josie’s cheeks are flushed and her eyes are hazy. She has on some striking silver eyeliner and glittery eyeshadow, her hair straightened and half worn up with a scrunchie, flyaway hairs stuck to her face. Hope thinks she looks kind of magical. 

“Hi.” Her voice is a little raspy from all the laughing and shouting she’s been doing. She reaches past Hope to pour a drink.

“How are you doing?” Hope asks carefully. 

“I’m great.”

Hope is definitely getting some hostile vibes from her. “You seem like you’re having...fun. And quite a lot to drink.”

“Is that a problem?” Josie sips her drink and it reddens her already stained lips.

“No.” She bites her own lip. “About earlier, I think we should talk about it. It doesn’t have to be now but–”

“Earlier? I haven’t a clue what you’re on about.”

“Jo.” Hope is getting frustrated. “Would you stop the cold act? If you’re mad at me, just tell me. You know you can talk to me about anything.”

Josie’s eyes flash. “Yeah well, that’s something that goes _both ways_ , Hope.” She stalks away from her.

Landon jogs over. “That looked intense, is everything okay?”

She thinks about brushing it off but decides against it. “No, not really. You haven’t got any idea why Josie might be mad at me, do you?”

A strange expression passes across his face and he frowns, but shakes his head. She means to interrogate him further but Alyssa’s voice distracts her.

“Who’s up for a game of truth or dare!?” She shouts. There’s a chorus of _me_ and _yeah_ from people within earshot and Landon looks at her hopefully. 

“Really?” She sighs, but then notices Josie heading over to the circle Alyssa is already forming by the fire. “Fine, whatever. One round.”

There are about fifteen students altogether. It’s kind of eerie, sitting facing each other with only the flames to light up their faces. 

“Right, so I’m mixing some different games up here: ring of fire, spin the bottle and truth or dare.” Alyssa has clearly taken the role of gamekeeper. “Someone spins the bottle. Whoever the bottle lands on you have to ask a truth or dare, if they refuse to do it, they have to drink from _this_ ,” She points gleefully to a small bucket in the middle of the circle filled with liquid. “This is a mix of pretty much every substance at this party. A drink of that and you’re _guaranteed_ to end your night upchucking in the bushes.” She looks around at everyone’s faces, now filled with slightly more trepidation. “So I think it goes without saying: no cowards.” 

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “Are we gonna play this century, or?”

Eyes almost black, Alyssa smirks. “Of course, babe. Let’s begin.”

One of the wolves spins first and lands on a pretty witch called Ally. He dares her to flash her tits, a leer on his face. She hesitates before lifting her sweater up and down in a flash. A bunch of the guys catcall.

A few turns later, Kaleb spins and gets MG, who he dares – with a cheeky grin – to kiss the hottest girl in the circle. MG blushes and hesitates, but all the boys start cheering him on so he crawls slowly towards Lizzie.

“May I?” He asks when he’s in front of her. She shrugs “Whatever.” playing indifferent but Hope can tell she’s pleased. They peck on the lips chastely and Sebastian’s jaw is clenched tightly the entire time. Landon laughs beside her. “Look how pleased he is.” He says, pointing to MG, who indeed looks more chuffed than Hope has seen him in a while. She laughs as well.

Josie is sitting opposite to Hope, cuddled up to Jed who’s been whispering in her ear throughout. Much to Hope’s concern, she’s still drinking, watching the game with intent eyes. 

After recovering from the kiss, MG spins and gets Brock, a wolf he doesn’t know very well. “Uhh, do a flip over the fire.” He says lamely. Everyone boos, but Brock grins and does one with a double spin in the middle which gets some cheers. 

Brock gets Jed, who in a confident tone declares that he wants _dare_. 

He receives a wink from his friend. “Kiss Josie.” A bunch of the students whoop and a few whisper to each other. 

“You don’t have to do that, Josie.” Lizzie immediately cuts in. She glares at Jed. “I suggest you keep your paws off my sister.” Hope’s stomach feels tight.

“You’re not her keeper, Lizzie.” Jed shoots back. Hope looks at Josie who meets her eye before sliding her gaze to Landon. Whatever she sees causes her face to harden with resolve. She puts her drink down and climbs onto Jed’s lap, knees either side of his legs. The circle gets louder in response even though Lizzie throws them all filthy glares.

Jed is over the moon. He puts one large hand on her waist and the other pulls Josie’s face towards his. 

After about 15 seconds of kissing Hope growls out. “That’s enough, she’s drunk.” Jed has the sense to stop, his lips red with Josie’s lipstick, but he still throws out a flippant “We’re all drunk.”

Josie stays sat on Jed’s lap, her expression smug in it’s exterior, but underneath something else is brewing, something that worries Hope deeply.

A few spins later MG is dared to kiss Kaleb who levels him with a look and says “You better drink boy, those lips aren’t coming near me.” 

“You sure?” He takes a playful step toward Kaleb.

“Very.” MG takes the first drink of the bucket, gagging and spluttering. Looking nauseous, he spins and gets Josie. He smiles. “Truth or dare, Jo?”

“Truth.”

“Okay, umm,” He’s thinks for a second before settling on: “Most embarrassing moment?” A nice one, by _truth or dare_ standards.

Josie looks up and her eyes catch Hope’s. They’re dark and glinting. 

“Easy. The time my boyfriend’s conscience went around telling everyone how much he loved Hope.”

There’s a stilted hush around the circle and Hope swallows painfully.

Josie makes her eyes wide and innocent. “Oh, sorry. Am I not playing the game right? Should I have said the time I tripped walking out of morning assembly? That was definitely a close second.”

“This. Is. Brilliant.” Alyssa whispers gleefully. 

Landon has stiffened beside her and chosen not to speak, so Hope clears her throat. “Your spin Josie.” She fears that rising to the bait will only make this worse.

Josie throws her a biting look but spins. To Hope’s horror, the vodka bottle slows to a condemning stop on Landon. He stares at it like it holds his time of death. Everyone waits.

“Landon,” Josie’s voice is sugar sweet, and she doesn’t wait for him to make a choice. “What was your first time like?” Hope’s mouth goes dry and she whips her head to look at Landon, who seems to be coming to an awful realisation. 

“Well that’s a waste of a go,” Lizzie remarks. “ _I_ can answer that: nonexistent.”

“Not exactly. Right Landon?” Josie asks. Landon is watching her with regret pouring from his eyes.

“What?” Lizzie frowns. Everyone is now looking at Landon and Hope.

“How?” Hope clears her throat. “How did you know?” _She_ hadn’t told anyone which only meant…

“A little drunk birdy whispered it in my ear.” Josie looks at her, and Hope can tell that whatever careful mask she’d been holding together was cracking now for everyone to see. 

“You idiot.” Hope hisses at Landon who mumbles an apology, staring at the ground. “Jo, we can talk about this someplace else–”

“No.” Josie cuts her off. “I’m done being reasonable and sweet and fine about all of this.” Her voice is shaking as she stands, and Hope stands too. Everyone watches, mouths agape.

“I don’t expect you to be fine.” Hope replies, trying to keep her voice steady. “But you have to move on eventually. It’s the healthiest thing to do.” 

Josie laughs, short and bitter. “I’ll move on when all other members of the party do so.” Hope narrows her eyes, confused, but Josie continues, stepping closer to Hope. “And you really want to talk to me about _healthy_ , Hope? That’s not exactly your forte, is it? You want me to believe you’re _deeply in love_ with him?”

“Josie–” Lizzie tries to cut in, sounding distressed. She might as well be a fly on the wall for all the girls care.

“I _love_ Landon.” Hope retorts, anger rising in her voice.

“Oh come off it! You have him just because you can!” Josie shouts, voice cracking. “When I actually _want_ him.” Her lip quivers. 

“That’s not true.” Hope says firmly. “You’re talking crap, Josie. Drunk crap.” 

“Oh, you’re in _love_.” Her voice turns cruel, mocking. She steps forward, wobbling slightly on unsteady legs. “Was the sex passionate, Hope? Did it feel right? Like there wasn’t another place you could ever want to be?” She’s in front of her now, brown eyes burning with too many emotions. Hope stares back unflinchingly. “When he was inside you, did you feel on fire?” She whispers, trailing her fingers up Hope’s sides. Hope grabs her wrists hard, stopping her fingers in their path.

“Stop it.” Hope snaps. 

_"_ I can’t believe Mikaelson hasn’t slapped her yet.” A boy whispers in the background.

Josie ignores her, leaning further in. “He’s safe right? Your normal, local boy, who came and endearingly fought for your heart,” Her drunk tongue fumbles with the word _endearingly_ . “Maybe if _once,_ you had taken a look around, you might have seen that other people have cared about you long before him.” She spits.

Hope looks into her eyes, not totally sure what they’re arguing about anymore. 

Landon chooses that moment to step forward, wringing his hands. “Josie, I’m so sorry. I was a total tool for telling you that stuff, but please, don’t blame Hope. It isn’t her fault.” He begs.

The fire seems to go out of Josie, and she crumples before their eyes. “No, I’m done.” She mumbles, voice shattered. “I’m done with both of you. Find someone else to screw about.” She turns, unsteady, and starts to walk away. Hope feels like her centre of gravity is off, her body vibrating in a way that she hasn’t felt in a couple of years. Like she doesn’t have control.

Jed starts to follow Josie. 

“Take another step and I’ll make you regret it.” She hisses, her eyes blazing. “If you hadn’t fed her drinks all night this wouldn’t have happened.”

He glares at her. “You’re blaming _me_ for this? I think we all heard loud and clear who’s to blame.” 

Hope is in front of him in seconds. “Here _this_ loud and clear: I will _tear_ you limb for limb if you piss me off anymore. Got it?” She whispers into his ear. He nods ever so slightly and she hears him swallow. 

Without a second glance, Hope leaves, running after Josie.

Unsurprisingly, she hasn’t gotten far. In fact she looks close to passing out as she stumbles through the woods. 

“Jo!” She says, gently pulling on her arm.

“Go away.” Josie shoves her off and in doing so almost falls over.

“Let me help you.”

“I don’t want your help!” The words are less convincing when slurred.

“You can hate me all you want, but at least let me get you back to the school.” She begs.

Josie collapses into a crouch, head in her hands. “I just want...to sleep.”

Hope crouches in front of her. “I understand.” She says softly. “You can lean on me, I’ll get you to bed.”

Josie finally relents, nodding slightly. She lets Hope help her up and they make their way slowly to the school.

By the time they’re inside, Josie is all but unconscious. Hope decides to take her to her own room. With one arm she holds Josie up, with the other she unlocks the door. 

Whispering reassurances into Josie’s ear, she half carries her to the bathroom, carefully lowering her to the floor so she can lean against the bathtub. 

Josie mumbles something indistinguishable, letting her head fall back. “It’s okay, you can sleep soon.” Hope replies, searching for her makeup cleanser and a wipe. She removes all of Josie’s sparkly makeup and takes the scrunchie out of her hair, running her fingers gently through it. Josie keeps her eyes closed. Without the makeup she looks vulnerable, breakable.

Hope pours her a tall glass of water and crouches again. “Jo, wake up for a second, I need you to drink this.” She strokes her face and her eyelids until their flickering open hazily. “There’s no way you’re going to avoid having a killer hangover in the morning, but this might help.” She chuckles lightly.

Josie takes the glass. Though awake, her movements are lethargic. 

Hope quickly takes off her own makeup and cleans her teeth, before offering her mouthwash to Josie. She slowly rinses her mouth and spits, looking despondent.

“Okay umm… pyjamas, right. Wait a second.” She rushes to her dresser and grabs an oversized t-shirt and pyjama bottoms for Josie. 

“Here you go, you can change in here.” She hands them over to Josie who sort of stares at them helplessly.

Hope changes shakily in the bedroom, her mind running over all the ways that tonight went wrong. When Josie doesn’t come out for three minutes she knocks softly on the bathroom door. “Jo?”

There’s no answer so, anxious, she opens the door. Josie is sitting on the floor, her sweater half pulled off, staring into nothing.

Hope kneels down. “Josie?” She looks at her and her eyes are filmy with tears. “Here, let me help you.” She gently tugs the sweater the rest of the way off, swallowing at the sight of Josie in a bra. Her skin looks soft and tan, speckled in freckles. Hope can’t help but notice that she’s way too thin, her ribs protruding. Josie watches her face without moving her eyes. 

She picks up the t-shirt and pulls it over her head. Josie offers her the first smile she’s seen all day when her head pops through, hair ruffled. It feels more intimate than seeing her in her bra.

Not more intimate than sliding her hands under the t-shirt and up Josie’s back to unclip said bra, though. Josie lets out a small shiver at the feeling, their faces close enough for her to see all the shades of brown in her eyes. 

“Okay,” Hope whispers. “Skirt now.” She unbuttons it and pushes it down Josie’s hips so she can step out of it, followed by the tights, which she pulls down Josie’s mile-long legs.

Once Josie’s all dressed, she leads her by the hand to her bed. Josie kind of falls onto it like her legs have lost their function. Hope switches off the light and lies beside her.

For about ten minutes they lie silently, stiffly. Hope wonders if Josie has fallen asleep.

Then Josie begins to shake. “Jo?” Hope sits up and leans over her body. Josie is choking on her sobs, trying to suffocate them before they can make a noise. “ _Jo_.” Hope immediately gathers her into her arms, heart beating fast. “Hey, it’s okay. What’s wrong?”

For the first time since they got back to the school, Josie speaks. “I feel like I’m crumbling.” She whispers, voice cracking under the force of her sobs. “Like my mind is splitting, or something, and there’s nothing I can do to control it.” Hope stares at her. She looks utterly terrified, her hair sticking to the tears on her face, her lip quivering. 

As her sobs become louder Hope rocks her, holding her face in the crook of her neck.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this fic comes from one of my favourite poems 'One Art' by Elizabeth Bishop. If you've never read it– do, it's a gorgeous poem.

Hope wakes up to the pitter patter of rain against her window and thin, grey sunlight assaulting her eyes. She’d forgotten to close her curtains last night.

Her mouth feels dry and her head thuds slightly, but aside from that she feels okay. 

Josie is still curled at her chest, hands clutching Hope’s t-shirt. The younger girl had cried for almost half an hour last night, before exhaustion took over and she dropped off to sleep. As upsetting as it was, Hope thinks it was cathartic for her in a way, to release all that emotion– a cleansing of sorts. Hope certainly feels better knowing where she is right now, because who knows how those violent emotions could have released otherwise.

She sighs, choosing just to lie in the moment for a while, staring at her ceiling. Early mornings offer a specific kind of peace that you don’t get at any other time of day, a _not quite-ness_ of sorts: the day has not quite begun, the problems have not quite set in, she is not quite awake, instead, languishing in the inbetween.

As Josie exhales against her throat, Hope’s eyes run across the star-shaped spots across her ceiling, left-behind marks of her glow in the dark stars that Alyssa ripped down while she was in Malivore.

It may be infantile, but she used to enjoy her little pseudo-night sky. 

Josie wriggles beside her, breathing in deeply as she begins to wake up.

“Morning.” Hope smiles as Josie’s eyes peel open. She immediately scrunches them shut again.

“Yeah, I can tell. Why is it the literal sun in here?” She moans, burying her face into Hope’s shoulder. Her voice is a little croaky.

“I’m guessing that hangover is kicking in.”

“Kicking my head in, yes.”  
  


“Do you want a glass of water?” Hope sits up reluctantly, dislodging Josie’s head.

Josie starts to nod when suddenly she freezes, covering her mouth with her hand. “One second.” She swallows, face grey. Before Hope can blink, she’s up and in the bathroom retching.

Grimacing, Hope follows her in. She gathers Josie’s hair up into a ponytail and rubs gentle circles on her shaking back.

“Sorry.” Josie mumbles when she gets a moment’s respite.

Hope smiles. “Don’t apologise, we’ve all been there.”

“Yeah but...I’m grossing up your toilet.”

“I have it on good authority that toilets are already pretty gross.” 

Before Josie can reply she’s hit with another wave of nausea. 

After about 20 minutes she flushes the toilet and collapses back onto her butt, leaning against Hope’s legs. “I think that’s the worst of it.” She sighs, relief on her face.

Hope makes a sympathetic noise, brushing a strand of hair away from Josie’s clammy face. “Do you want me to help you back to your room?”

Josie immediately shakes her head. “No, definitely not. I don’t think I can face the world today. Especially not my sister. I'm so embarrassed.”

Hope stiffens. That’s the first indirect mention either of them have made about last night. “Right, that’s fine. You can stay here. I’m going to grab some breakfast, do you want me to get you anything?”

Josie pulls a face. “Don’t even mention food to me please.” She smacks her lips. “God, my mouth tastes disgusting.”

Hope laughs. “I bet. Do you want me to stop by your room? Get your toothbrush and some clothes?”  
  


Josie’s looks surprised, her face softening. “Yeah, thanks, that would be great.” 

“No problem, where’s your key?”

“Uh, in my skirt pocket.” Hope finds the skirt in the corner of the bathroom and fishes out the key.

“Got it. Hey, why don’t you take a bath? I have lots of oils and bubble baths,” Hope points to a wooden shelf on the wall. “I think you’d feel a lot better.” She heads into the bedroom as she speaks, so doesn’t see Josie’s reaction but she hears an indistinct “Okay, yeah.” 

She changes quickly into jeans, a floral print blue top and a cosy wool sweater. It’s getting colder as November drags bitterly ahead. She’s tugging a comb through her hair when she hears the bath begin to run.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a bit!” She calls.

“Wait, Hope!” Josie’s head pops around the bathroom door and from her bare shoulders Hope assumes she’s already at least half naked. Her stomach tightens strangely for a second. “My toothbrush is the yellow one.”

“Of course it is.”

***  
  


In the dining hall, Hope fills a cardboard takeaway box with a couple of croissants and a banana, and grabs herself and Josie sandwiches for later. Hopefully Josie’s appetite will pick up. She’s getting them both coffees when she spots Landon from across the room. He’s slumped inside a green hoodie, his head leaning on one hand as the other picks at a piece of toast. 

He looks utterly miserable. 

Part of her wants to go over and comfort him, but a larger part is _furious_ about what he told Josie. To share something so private, and _delicate_ considering the circumstances, was so insensitive that she can’t wrap her head around it. What possessed him to do it?

She’s swimming in her own thoughts as she walks out of the hall, so doesn’t notice Lizzie until she’s right in front of her, mouth tight.

“Why are you keeping my sister hostage?” Her voice is sharp, forcing Hope to come to a stop.

“Oh, so she’s your sister again now?” She retorts, eyebrow raised.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“ _You deal with her, Hope._ Well I am dealing with her, thank you.”

Lizzie crosses her arms. “I was drunk, I didn’t mean that. I want her back now.”

Hope shrugs. “She’s her own person, she’ll go back when she wants.”

“Why is she even with you? If last night told us anything, it’s that she clearly hates you.”

Hope swallows, but keeps composed. “She doesn’t hate me. She’s my best friend.”

“Uh, _wrong_. _I’m_ her best friend!”

Hope rolls her eyes. “That’s healthy.” She mutters, moving past Lizzie, who follows her. Hope grits her teeth in frustration.

“I _am_ her best friend. Just because you’ve attached yourself to her like a limpet ever since she picked up some trash with you doesn’t mean you can take my place.” Lizzie hisses. 

Hope ignores her, walking rapidly towards the twins’ room. 

“You’re turning her against me, I know you are, just like Penelope tried to do–”

Hope whirls around, almost crashing into Lizzie. “Would you _shut up_?” Lizzie is breathing rapidly, clearly working herself up into some sort of fit. “I’m not turning her against you, okay? She just wants to chill in my room today. Why don’t you actually respect her wishes for once, rather than taking them as a direct attack against you?”

Lizzie doesn’t say anything, so Hope turns and unlocks her door, stepping into the room. Lizzie follows her in as she marches over to the dresser.

She’s picked out some mom jeans, a striped roll neck top and a soft cardigan when Lizzie speaks up.

“Uh, why are you going through Josie’s underwear drawer?” She pauses. “In fact, why are you in our room?”

“Josie asked me to get her some stuff.” Hope replies shortly, shoving Josie’s underwear inside the cardigan. She heads over to the bathroom, snatching the yellow toothbrush from it’s holder.

“No need to pack a suitcase.” Lizzie huffs, crossing her arms as Hope puts the clothes into Josie’s rucksack. She may be a tribrid, but doesn’t have four arms and she still has to carry the breakfast.

“It’s just some clothes, Lizzie.”

“For now.”

Hope doesn’t designate that with a response. She’s about to leave when she eyes Josie’s ukulele on her desk. That could be fun.

“Can you–just tell her I want to speak to her...please.” Lizzie says as Hope is leaving. Hope glances back at her and sees that she’s chewing her lip anxiously. She nods.

***

“I’m back.” Hope calls out as she kicks the door shut behind her. 

“I’m in the bath. You can come in.”

Hope edges the bathroom door open gently, peering inside. Josie is submerged in bubbles from the shoulders down, her dark hair plastered back from her face and the distinct smell of lavender in the air. She looks a lot happier than she had 20 minutes ago, a healthy flush back in her cheeks.

“Hey you.” Josie grins. “Is that coffee I smell?” She eyes the cup with unconcealed hunger.

“Can you stomach it?” Hope asks dubiously. “I don’t want you spewing it back over my floor.”

“My stomach is programmed to accept coffee at any and all moments.” Josie reaches a hand out, wiggling her fingers. “Gimme.” Hope obliges.

“I have croissants too if you want?” She offers, opening the box. Josie wrinkles her nose, shaking her head. 

Hope sits down on the floor, back against the bathtub. There’s a minute's silence as Hope eats her croissant and Josie inhales her coffee. “So, Lizzie says hi. She wants to talk.”

“Of course she does.”

“Is there a specific reason you don’t want to speak to her? Or does it fall under general avoidance?”

“A little of both.” Hope waits. “She’s been freezing me out all week just because I snapped at her once last weekend. Sorry if I now don’t feel like pouring my heart out to her.”

Hope nods. “Fair.” She pauses, running her finger around the rim of her coffee cup. “I think we need to talk about last night.”

There’s no response from Josie at first, except the sound of her sliding deeper into the bath. Then– “Do we have to?”

“Yes.” She says firmly. “You say that was embarrassing for you, imagine what it was like for me.”

It’s a little strange talking like this, with her back to Josie, but in some ways it makes it easier.

“Everyone probably just thought _oh look, another cracked Saltzman twin, losing it_. I’m sure they mostly respected you for not tearing my head off.”

Hope turns her head to look at her incredulously. “Are you kidding? You _ripped_ into my relationship in front of all those people! You made me sound like a fraud!”

Josie pouts. “No…”

“Yes.” Hope stares at her, watching a droplet of water dance at the end of her eyelashes. “Do you even remember everything you said?”

Josie avoids her eyes, playing with the bubbles. “Bits and pieces. Mostly I just remember feeling a _lot_. These emotions that felt hot in my stomach, like they could, I don’t know, burn a hole if I didn’t get them out.”

“Do you feel like that a lot at the moment?”

Now Josie _definitely_ isn’t meeting her eye. “Sometimes.” 

Hope exhales with frustration when she refuses to elaborate. It looks like Josie's breakdown in Hope's arms last night is not on the table for discussion. “Well, let me refresh your memory. You were kind enough to let me know that I _don’t_ love Landon, he’s just, safe,” She quotes that last word with her fingers. “and that you’re done with me because I screw you about. Oh, and Landon spilt the beans to you about us having sex. I’d like to know what the context of that was by the way.”

Josie’s eyes are darting back and forth from her face to the door. She looks like she’s considering a mad dash to freedom. Hope prays not, she doesn’t think she can handle a naked Josie right now.

Thankfully, Josie glances down at her body and sinks back into the bath. But not before throwing Hope a glare. “You got me in this bath so you could trap me!”

“I did not. It's just a convenient coincidence.”

“Uh huh.” She says, suspicion lingering in her voice. Then she sighs. “ I don’t know, Hope. I was drunk and heartbroken. Just ignore what I said.”

“Yeah, right.” Hope scoffs. “I know you, Josie. You meant those things.”

“You don’t know me in a relationship, I...change. All sense of rationality goes out the window. I guess hearing about you and Landon just... set me off. A part of me still sees him as mine.” She glances at Hope, adding quickly: “I know he’s not, obviously.” 

Hope doesn’t say anything, partly because she’s still mulling the words over, and partly because she’s just noticed that some of Josie’s bath bubbles are starting to pop, and well...lose their coverage.

Josie mistakes her muteness for anger. “I swear Hope, I would never try like, get him behind your back. Not that he’d go for me again, _or_ go behind your back–” She sits up anxiously and suddenly all Hope can see are small, perky breasts.

“-Josie it’s fine! I didn’t think you would.” She blushes lightly, turning away.”You may want to add some more bubbles.”

“What? Oh.” She hears Josie slosh quickly back into the water. “Actually I might get out now.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Hope gets up hurriedly, fetching Josie’s clothes and toothbrush. She places them in a neat pile on the toilet seat, all the while studiously avoiding looking at Josie. “There’s lotion and stuff in the cupboard, and here’s a comb.” 

“Thanks. Are you alright?”

“Yep. I’ll be out here.”

Josie comes out about ten minutes later, pulling her hair up into a high pony. “God I feel about twenty times better than I did when I woke up.” She sits down cross legged on Hope’s bed, who puts down the book she was reading. “Although that was a pretty low bar to beat.”

“Maybe you should eat something now.” Josie looks reluctant so she raises an eyebrow. “Unless you want to have a chat about why you’ve lost several pounds?” Their eyes lock, brown on blue, until Josie looks away, getting up and heading to the box on Hope’s desk. She picks out a croissant and starts to nibble at it.

Hope smiles, satisfied. For now. 

“You have more photos? I thought my dad burnt them all?” Josie is holding up a framed photograph of her family. 

“Freya sent me some more after I explained what happened.” Hope feels a pang in her chest. She misses everyone so much. Josie nods, sending her a sympathetic smile. She continues to walk around the room, eating her croissant.

“It is a little bare in here still. You should get some posters and stuff. Landon is always taking photos, I’m sure he has some you could put up.” 

“I’m sure.” Hope mutters dryly.

Josie catches her tone and stops. “Okay, fine, let’s talk about it. It’s clearly the elephant in the room.” She crosses her arms, remaining standing up. Hope thinks she already looks on the defence.

“Okay. What did Landon say to you on Thursday?”

Josie inhales and exhales deeply before speaking, like she's preparing for a big speech. “There was some drunk reminiscing and he, uh, asked me to dance with him.” Hope listens, keeping her face impassive. “It was a little strange but I went along with it…” She's pinching at the skin of her arm as she talks, not looking at Hope. “And then he asked why it was that I didn’t have sex with him that night. So I told him about Penelope’s book, and then…”  
  


Hope waits. “And then?”  
  


For a moment Josie seems overtly anxious, her brow furrowed, but when she looks up at Hope, her face is smooth. “And then he told me about you two. I guess in his alcohol ridden, id-driven brain, it seemed like the right thing to do.” 

Hope sits quietly for a minute. Trust Josie to already have forgiven Landon. She can tell that she has from the way she recounts the story, her voice soft and wavering, there’s no anger there. She’s looking at Hope with these big anxious eyes as if hoping she’ll give him the all clear.

Not likely. 

“I’m sorry that I flew off the handle at you, Hope.” Josie is suddenly in front of her, clasping her hands. “It’s just, it felt like we had found some kind of delicate balance, where I was starting to move on, and I trusted you not to hurt me again. To find that stuff out in such a weird way, I don’t know, it was too much. Maybe if I was feeling a little less all over the place...”

Hope nods, squeezing her hands. “He shouldn’t have told you. And Josie, you should know, we didn’t, like, plan it to happen or anything, it just kinda did–”

“–Yeah, I really don’t need to know the details.” Josie steps back, grimacing. 

“Right. Of course.” Hope tries to think of something to distract them both. “Hey, look what I brought.” She lifts it up.

“My ukulele?” 

“I thought you could play me something. I’ve only ever heard you do it like once.”

Josie sits down on the bed again, taking it hesitantly. “What do you want me to play? I know some Lana.”  
  


“Why do you assume I’d like Lana?” Hope narrows her eyes as Josie grins. “ _Why_?” 

Josie smirks. “No reason.” She hums, fiddling with the strings of the ukulele. 

Hope slides forward on the bed and begins to poke her repeatedly in the side. “Tell me!” 

Josie laughs, batting Hope’s hands away. “Okay, fine! You’re kind of emo.”

Hope’s mouth drops open slightly and then she scoffs. “ _Emo_? I am not.”

“You definitely are. _And_ I think you’re a secret romantic.”

Hope doesn’t really have a rebuttal because...well she _is._ So she just crosses her arms. “Whatever, you are too.”

Josie holds her hands up. “Nothing secret about my emo-ness or my sad, hopeless romantic tendencies.” They smile at each other. “I’ll play _Cinnamon Girl_. It might be a little tricky on ukulele because I was learning it on guitar in the summer.” 

“Landon’s guitar?” Hope guesses. Josie nods slightly, not looking up as she positions her fingers.

She starts strumming the chords, and when she sings, Hope feels something inside her loosen and tighten at the same time. It’s like her body has exhaled, but her heart has constricted. 

Josie sings like she does everything, brimming with a vulnerability and care that puts others to shame. Her voice is delicate, floating and dancing with the words. Hope runs her eyes all over her face, not wanting to miss a single expression. The moment feels vividly alive. 

_“There’s things I wanna say to you, but I’ll just let you live_

_Like if you hold me without hurting me, you'll be the first who ever did”_

Josie’s eyes land on hers as she sings those lines, and in that second, Hope thinks she’d let herself drown in their darkness.

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

_Landon opens his eyes and is hit with piercing bright light. “Argh.” He closes them again, trying to sink back into the depths of dreamland. But something is strange. His body feels warm, heated nicely as if by the sun. When he opens his eyes again, the sky hangs above him, one solid blue._

_He’s lying on the dock._

_“What the…” Landon sits up and looks around. There’s no one else anywhere. The sun is high in the sky– it must be the middle of the day. Did he not make it home from the party last night? His mind feels scrambled, like the memories are just out of reach._

_He stands up, his movements heavy and lethargic. Looking out at the water, he admires the way the sun sparkles invitingly across it. He hasn’t seen a day this nice in weeks, certainly not hot like this, not since the summer._

_“Landon.”_

_He swings his body around at the sound of her voice._

_Josie._

_She’s wearing one of her pretty summer dresses– the red one– and smiling sweetly at him. In her hand is a bottle of water._

_“Josie, hey. What’s going on? Why am I out here?”_

_“You look thirsty, Landon. Here.” She takes a few steps towards him, holding out the water. He realises she’s right, his mouth is dry as a bone._

_  
__“Thanks.” He smiles softly as she hands him the water, and then a little confused when her fingers stroke his._

_“You had a long night.”_

_“Yeah...I can’t really remember it though.” He frowns. “Why am I outside?”_

_Josie cups his face, delicate fingers pressing into his cheeks. “This is our place, remember?” She whispers against his mouth before kissing him deeply. His hands fall to her waist as he loses himself in the taste of her. It feels like it’s been so long since he kissed her– but also no time at all. A part of him knows he should pull away, but he just...can’t. She presses the length of her body against his and he feels heated from head to toe, a sigh of relief falling from his lips. He has the strange urge to cry._

_“Landon.” The voice rings out, sharp and clear. He pulls away from Josie abruptly, looking fearfully over her shoulder._

_In all her startling beauty, Hope stands, hands on her hips, the sun setting her auburn hair ablaze._

_“Hope, shit, sorry, I wasn’t– I mean I didn’t–”_

_“Shut up.” His mouth snaps shut immediately. Josie slowly peels away from him, taking a step back. Her eyes are apologetic._

_“Our time is up, Landon.” Josie says sadly. She walks over to Hope’s side, standing just behind her._

_“No, it’s not up, it hardly began!” He protests desperately, aware of Hope’s piercing eyes but not finding it in himself to care._

_“She’s not yours. She never was.” Hope says, lifting her chin. With a flick of her hand Landon’s body surges backwards and he finds himself submerged in the water. He gasps, swallowing mouthfuls of it, feeling it pressing against his lungs. He writhes about, desperately working his arms, pushing through the water to get to the top where the sunlight still sparkles._

_When he finally breaks through, inhaling the clear air, he notices that the dock has begun to stretch in length at an unnatural speed, Josie and Hope becoming mere dots in the horizon._

_“No! Don’t leave me behind!” He swims to the dock and tries to pull himself up, but his clothes feel like weights._

_Something tugs at his leg and he feels himself being dragged back under. “No, no, no, no, no–”_

“Landon! Dude, wake up!”

He opens his eyes to see Raf’s concerned, and slightly amused, face hovering above his. “Oh my god. Thank god.”

“Nightmare?” 

“Is there something beyond nightmare?” He breathes out, lying there for a second and relishing in the fact that his dream wasn’t real. His face feels clammy and his hands are shaky.

“Maybe that night hag thing is back.” Raf says, his eyes darting to meet Landon’s. He looks a little worried.

“We killed it. Well, Hope killed it. I doubt there’s any more of them.”

“I hope not. I do _not_ need that thing visiting me again.”

“You and me both.” Landon sits up, cradling his head. The room spins slightly. 

“Maybe it’s the alcohol. I always have crazy vivid dreams when I’ve drank a lot.” Raf is standing with a towel wrapped around his waist, rummaging through his dresser. He doesn’t push to know what Landon was dreaming about. Landon has always appreciated that about Raf: he isn’t invasive.

“Maybe. Anyway, where the hell did you get to last night? You missed a right shit show.”

Raf grins as he pulls on a sweatshirt. “I was off doing something a lot more fun than dealing with the drama in our friend group.”

There’s a pause before it clicks for Landon. “You got laid!” Raf’s smirk is confirmation enough. “Who’s the unlucky lady?”

Raf takes his times buttoning up his jeans, his movements loose and cocky. “Rachel– girl in my pack. Short, mixed race, curly hair. She’s hot.”

Landon nods. “Yeah I think I know who you’re on about.” He grins. “Good on you, bro.”

“Thanks, man.” He swings his long arms, pacing about. “I feel so much less tense and pent up, you know? I’m pretty sure it’s unhealthy for a wolf to go that long without getting some.” Landon laughs. “I’ve been such a dick recently,” Raf continues. “Especially to Hope.”  
  


The smile drops from Landon’s face. “I can relate. I’ve pretty much sucked at being a decent person all around.” He sighs, falling onto his back and staring despondently at the ceiling. 

Raf sits down on his bed. “So what’s this you said about a shit show?”

Landon closes his eyes as he speaks, partly because of his pounding headache and partly because it’s easier to recount the night’s events without seeing Raf’s reactions. When he’s done, Raf lets out a low whistle.

“I cannot think of a way you could've fucked everything up more.”

“Helpful.” Landon glares at him. 

“You _finally_ get Hope to sleep with you and you go blabbing to your ex-girlfriend about it! Why?”

“I don’t know, I just– I don’t know.”

“Don’t give me that bull, Lan. Why?”

“I was drunk–”

“ _Why?_ ”

“Because I think I might love Josie!” He lets out in a rush.

Raf raises his eyebrows. “Well okay then.”

“SHIT!” Landon shouts, getting out of bed and pacing to the other side of the room. “Shit, shit, shit. I didn’t mean that.”

“Bro–”  
  


“No. I didn’t mean that. I _have_ love for Josie – she’s brilliant, of course I do – but I’m not like, _in_ love with her.”  
  


“Okay.”

“Just... forget this conversation. I need to piss and take a shower. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

Landon stands in the shower until he’s calmed himself down. He’s mistaking fondness and guilt and care for love. Josie was there for him when he needed her, and he hates that he’s caused her pain, but wanting to fix that isn’t...love.

He half hopes and half dreads seeing either Josie or Hope in the dining hall, but at least one of those wishes is answered because there’s no sign of either of them. 

Instead, he finds Lizzie. She looks as exhausted as he feels, despite her efforts to cover it up with makeup. She glares at him when he approaches her, but he knows her fairly well by now and can tell it's her _I don’t like you right now_ glare and not her _if you take another step towards me I will curse you_ glare.

“So who is it today? Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? I’d like to meet your drunk alter-ego so I can _beat his ass_.” She spits out between clenched teeth.

He flinches, sitting down warily. The girls in this school were scary. “Is there a third persona: the sad, hungover loser?”

“I’m pretty sure loser is your everyday persona.” 

“No argument from me today.”

She stares at him. “God, you’re even more pathetic than usual.”

“I wonder why?”  
  


“Touche.” She takes a sip of her tea. “So what’s your plan to sort all this out?”

“Still working on it. Not exactly easy considering I’ve managed to upset both Josie _and_ Hope.”

“That’s not surprising. Where upsetting Josie occurs, upsetting Hope usually follows.” 

“So you think I should make it up to Josie first?”

Lizzie considers him with her large blue eyes. “She’ll certainly be easier to get forgiveness from. But I don’t think that will score you many points with Hope. It doesn’t work the other way around – you should know, she’s _your_ girlfriend.”

He throws his head in his hands. “God, I know. She’s big on trust and I’ve fucked it up.”

Lizzie hums in agreement. “Indeed you have.”  
  


He looks up at her desperately. “At least tell me Josie’s doing okay? She’s not _too_ upset?”

Lizzie’s face goes stony. “I wouldn’t know. She’s holed up in _Hope’s_ room.” 

Landon literally feels the blood drain from his face. “They’re together? That is not good. Oh god, she could tell her– I need to–”

“Who could tell who? And what?” Lizzie asks, quick to catch things–as always.

“Nothing.” He says quickly. “I just need to think for a second.” Lizzie doesn’t seem to be listening. She’s gotten up rather suddenly and is heading off with purpose. 

Landon’s head is thumping and there’s two girls further down the table who are bickering at a rising volume. He needs some fresh air. Abandoning his half eaten toast he escapes the dining room, heading to the entrance doors. Once outside, he gulps in the cold air greedily, much like in his dream. 

It’s a dreary day and the wind is brisk and sharp. He’s a little surprised to see Jed, standing with his dark blue fleece zipped up around his face, a cigarette between two fingers.

“Hey.” Landon says.

“Alright?” Jed asks, an amused lilt to his voice. 

“Alright as can be, I guess.”

They stand for a few moments in silence. Jed waves the cigarette his way. “Want a drag?”  
  


“Nah.” Landon encountered smoking pretty young – most of the kids in his foster homes smoked all the time – but he’d never been a fan of the taste. 

“Suit yourself.”

More silence.

“You probably think I’m an idiot.” Landon says.

Jed shrugs. “Yeah. Mostly I’m just confused how you got two beautiful girls fawning over you.”

“Is that what they’re doing? Feels more like hating me.”

“Thin line between love and hate, buddy.”

“Sure feels like it.” He hesitates before asking what he wants to ask. A part of him doesn’t want the confirmation. ‘You like Josie a lot, don’t you?”

Jed coughs and drops the cigarette, grinding it beneath his shoe. “Yeah.” He says shortly. “What about it?” He glares at Landon. 

“Nothing.” Landon holds his hands up until Jed returns to staring out at the forest. 

“I’ll see you later.” Landon turns to go.

“She makes things feel like they’re gonna be okay,” Jed says. Landon pauses. “I’m just...lighter around her, you know what I mean?”  
  


“Yes,” Landon replies unhappily. “I know what you mean.”

***

He’s on his way to face his problems when Raf jogs up behind him. “Woah, tell me you’re not going where I think you’re going.”

Landon keeps walking. “Hope’s room.”

Raf darts in front of him, walking backwards. “Empty handed? Terrible idea.”  
  


“What do you mean?”

“You aren’t going to bring her an apology gift?”

“An _apology gift_? Sounds like bullshit to me and Hope doesn’t like bullshit.”

“No, Hope likes _actions_ over words.”

“Actions that back up the words you speak. Which mine haven’t been. No gift is going to compensate for that.”

“Right now bro, you have nothing on your side. You’ve betrayed Hope’s trust and you’ve hurt Josie. Hope’s pretty much going to be claws out from the get go. You need to remind her _why_ she loves you.”

“Which is?” Landon asks hopelessly, coming to a standstill.

“You’re kind and thoughtful. You _care_ about her feelings and you like to show that. So _show it_.”

“How?” 

“You got any allowance money left?” Each month, students who have no family, or families that are poor or out of contact with them, get a little money from the school. 

“I haven’t exactly been out having much fun recently, so yeah.”

“Good,” Raf dangles some car keys, grinning. “Cause we’re gonna make a little run into town.”

***

“God this weather is dog shit.” Raf grumbles as they walk along the sidewalk. 

“Where are we going?” Landon has to walk twice as fast to keep up.

“Arts and crafts shop. I googled it earlier after you had your freak out. It should be around here somewhere.”

“I did not have a _freak out_. Just a momentary blip in common sense.”

“An epiphany you mean?”

Landon scowls at him. “The opposite. A de-piphany.”

“Ah-ha. Here we are.” Raf steps through the door of a small shop, which chimes as they enter. It’s warm and cluttered, all manner of arty stuff lining the shelves.

“Hello darlings.” A smiling lady with braided hair and a tie-dye t-shirt greets them.

“Afternoon, ma’am.” Raf greets and Landon gives her an awkward smile, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“What can I do for you?” 

“Where are your oil paints? Nothing too high market, but decent, y’know?” Raf smiles charmingly.

“Back-left.” She points with a pencil.

“What if I get her the wrong thing?” Landon asks nervously. “She’s very particular about her art stuff.”

“Would you grow a pair?” Raf says, exasperated. “You know that she lost all her supplies when Dr Saltzman destroyed them. I asked her the other day if she’d painted anything nice recently and she went on about how she couldn’t with the _mediocre_ acrylics that another witch leant her. Trust me, anything half-decent would be a step up.”  
  


Landon is overwhelmed by the myriad of paint colours in front of him. He’s been feeling anxiety gnawing at the back of his skull all day and _really_ doesn’t want to screw this up. “Okay, sure. How hard can it be?” He settles for a pack of twenty oil paints and a set of paintbrushes.

As he’s dumping them on the counter the lady eyes him. “You paint?” 

“No, no, they’re for my girlfriend, Hope.”

Her face brightens. “Hope! Haven’t seen that girly around since before the summer.” She looks him up and down again, smiling. “You seem the broody type, just like her. I’m sure you fit together well.”

“Uh yeah, she’s... great.” He replies a little miserably as she rings up the items.

Once they’re outside Landon turns to Raf. “So what now, oh wise one?”  
  


“Well, that’s one girl down. But I’m not really an expert on the other one, so that’s for you to work out.”  
  


Landon thinks. Josie is a collector of everything; he knows she still has all the love notes and little gifts Penelope gave her in a box somewhere, just like he knows she kept the tickets from every movie they went to see in the summer together. She cherishes that which has meaning, and would be happy just to know someone thought of her enough to do something or get something for her. 

He’s got it. “There’s this plant in the forest that she wants for her Earth magic. She’s been meaning to go find it for ages but hasn’t had the time.”

Raf sighs. “Seriously? Can’t we just buy her a damn plant?”

“Nope.”  
  


***

“So what does it look like exactly?” The forest is slick with the remnants of rain, and the air feels damp and bitty on their faces, particles of water clinging to their eyelashes.

“She said it was about two miles into the forest, which is why she couldn’t just pop and get it. It’s called a Night-blooming something. Can’t remember exactly. But they bloom only once a year after sunset for one night and one night only, how cool is that?” Landon says.

“Killer.”

“They’re white, with long stems and they kind of bend over like they’re exhausted when they’re not in bloom. Josie compared it to sleeping beauty: they sleep for months and months until the kiss of the right darkness from the right night wakes them, and then... they are the Queen of the Night.”  
  


“Jesus,” Raf eyes him. “She’s really got you caught up in all this flowery fairytale crap?”

He flushes. “Shut up and keep an eye out.”

It’s two hours of searching and Raf becoming increasingly fed up before Landon spots the flower. 

“Thank fuck! I was starting to regret ever getting involved in fixing your love life.” Raf watches as Landon digs around the plant with his hands, before carefully pulling it out, roots and all. “Right, let’s get back Romeo, I’m starving.”  
  


  
***

When they arrive back at the school, they come across two members of Raf’s pack brawling in the halls.

“Cut it out!” Raf shouts, shoving them apart, but they spring back together like magnets.

“He’s been going after my girl for _weeks_. I’m no pansy, you think I haven’t seen?” One of them responds.

“That’s not true. You’ve always been threatened by me and now you’re tryna get the other wolves to turn on me.” The other wolf spits contemptuously. “It’s pathetic. I wouldn’t steal anyone’s girl, as if I need to do that– I’m not _you_ .” Landon watches as the first wolf takes another swing in lieu of a response and Raf throws himself between them, his eyes turning yellow as he growls “ _Enough_ , before I snap both of your punching arms.”

With reluctance, they listen to their Alpha and part ways, but not without final barbs thrown at each other.

Raf turns back to Landon. “That’s the second argument in my pack that I’ve had to break apart today, what the hell is up with them?”

Landon shrugs. “Everyone is hung over and antsy? It’s not like wolves don’t run at a more aggressive level anyway.”

“This feels different. Like there’s something in the air, I don’t know.”

“Who knows bro. I’ve gotta go and, you know, sort things out. But thanks for today, really.” He claps Raf on the shoulder.

“Always, brother.” Landon turns to leave. “Listen.” He pauses. “Loving someone...it isn’t supposed to feel like signing a contract, you know?”  
  


Landon feels his chest tighten momentarily before he releases a breath. “I don’t know, a contract sounds pretty reassuring to me.”  
  
***

Landon pots the plant and wraps Hope’s gift in some newspaper, which he leaves outside her room with an _I’m sorry_ note stuck to it. He hopes it will soften her up before he comes to speak to her. It’s about 5pm when he finally gets the courage to head to the twins’ room, praying that Josie is there. He can’t face both Hope and Josie at once.

Lizzie opens the door. “What is it, eeyore? This is a boy-free, Hope-free zone.”

“Is Josie in?” He attempts to peer around her. 

“We’re having sister time. Go away.” 

“I really need to talk to her.” He begs.

“ _Lizzie_.” Josie appears at Lizzie’s side, rolling her eyes. “Could you give us a minute? Go make us hot chocolates or something.” She smiles sweetly at Lizzie’s offended expression. “I promise, the rest of the evening will be sister time.”

Lizzie huffs as she stalks off, shoulder barging Landon on the way. 

Landon steps into the room, his heart thrumming like a baby bird’s. “I got you this.” He brings forward the plant from where he was hiding it behind his back. Josie’s eyes widen.

“The Night-blooming cereus!”

“Queen of the Night.” He smiles. 

“You remembered.” She looks at him and her eyes are soft but her mouth is frowning. 

He puts the plant down with the rest of them, shrugging off her comment. “You mentioned it a lot. It would be hard not to.”

“Why did you get it for me?” She asks, examining it delicately.

He sighs. “As an accessory to my apology.” Her eyes flick to his quickly. “I am so, so sorry, Jo. The way I’ve treated you recently...it’s completely out of order.”

"You haven’t treated me badly Landon.” She folds her arms across her chest, a protective stance he’s seen her do many times.

“I _have_. You don’t have to be hurling abuse at someone to be treating them badly.”

“ _I_ was the one hurling abuse.”

He shakes his head. “Your anger last night was completely called for. Maybe not totally at Hope, but at me, _yes_.”

“No. It was vindictive and cruel.” The self loathing is evident in her tone. “This morning, when I woke up, it was all a blur and I _tried_ to keep it that way, push it into the part of my brain where I keep everything that’s unwanted. Hope told me bits of what I said and I felt like she was talking about another person.” She runs her hands through her hair, agitated. “I tried brushing it off, excusing it, even apologising, but then the memories... they started to come back, and Hope was being so nice... I _had_ to get out of there because I didn’t deserve it.” Her voice is rushed and frantic and Landon feels himself come closer to her without realising.

“Josie.” He’s frustrated. “You’ve got to stop finding your own behaviour despicable, and everybody else's so excusable.” He takes her hands. “It’s okay to be angry with me. You _should_ be angry with me. Dancing with you like that, telling you what I told you– it was wrong. Dumping you and going back to Hope so soon, that was wrong. I’ve been so shitty to you and I haven’t even apologised because I’ve been so caught in my own damn head.”  
  


She shakes his hands off. “I still publicly humiliated the both of you. I’m not the good person that you think I am. Hope will figure that out soon, and you should too.”

“Josie–”

“Thank you for the plant, Landon, but Lizzie will be back soon. You should go.” 

He sighs. “Okay. But we’re not done talking about this.”

She doesn’t respond, instead walking him to the door, but as he’s about to leave she speaks. “I didn’t tell Hope what you said, by the way.” He knows immediately what thing she’s talking about. “I couldn’t see it doing anything but bringing her hurt. She doesn’t need that, not when she’s finally happy with you.”

“You think that?” Josie frowns, confused. “That she’s happy.” He clarifies, and she nods slowly. “Then why did you say that she wasn’t in love with me?”

Josie plays with the sleeves of her cardigan. “I couldn't really tell you– like I said, I wasn’t myself. But I guess I struggle at times to recognise the way that _I_ see love in the way that Hope loves you, if that makes any sense? But that’s stupid, because people love in different ways. Hope’s love doesn’t call attention to itself, it’s just quietly there. I’m jealous at how independent and self-assured she is.” Josie laughs sadly. “I always let love consume me.” 

He swallows. “I–”

“You’re _still_ here?” Lizzie interrupts him, standing impatiently with a hot chocolate in either hand. “You’ve had your time, now get lost.”

“Lizzie, please. There’s no need to be rude.” Josie sounds exhausted. Lizzie’s stance softens a bit. 

“Sorry. I’m just annoyed because two girls catfighting down the hall almost knocked these drinks out of my hands. I mean, where’s the respect!”

Landon’s head is swimming. He has to speak to Hope. “I’m gonna go, seeya Josie. Lizzie.”

“Bye Landon.” Josie replies softly.

  
  


***

The gift is gone from outside Hope’s room. Hopefully that means she’s found it and not that someone has stolen it.

He knocks and waits, trying to keep the dread down. Hope opens the door quickly, almost like she was expecting the knock, but when she sees him her face tightens. 

He’s struck momentarily at how soft she looks in her sweater, her hair falling gracefully around her face. But he knows by now that Hope’s looks can be deceiving. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since they’ve seen each other but it feels like an ocean of time has passed. She gestures with a jerk of her head for him to come inside.

“So…” He begins stiltedly. “Did you have a nice day with Josie?” Mentally, he slaps himself.

“Yes, until she ran off a couple of hours ago with no explanation.” Hope replies shortly.

“Perhaps she needed time alone.” He wasn’t about to expose everything Josie had said to him, not yet anyway. “Last night was intense after all.”

Her eyes flash. He looks away. “Intense is one word for it.”

“Did you, uh, get the paints I left you?”

“You mean the ones left by the invisible fairy who couldn’t seem to actually verbalise the words _I’m sorry_?”

His shoulders sag with disappointment. The gift hadn’t worked. “I’m here now to do the verbal one.”

“I don’t much care for an apology, Landon. I’m much more interested in hearing the truth.”

He gulps. “What do you mean?”

“What happened between you and Josie on Thursday?” Her voice is steelier than he’s heard it in a long time.

“She didn’t tell you?”

“I know she wasn’t telling me everything. I’d have pressed her for more details, but Josie’s...delicate right now.” She looks conflicted. “So tell me.”

He cracks under the pressure of her stare, unable to stop the words from coming out.“I was drunk and truth be told, I miss her. I miss spending time with her, not within a group, but one on one. I wanted to be close to her again, so we danced. It slipped out when we were dancing.”

“It _slipped out_?” She growls. “You wanted to be close to her? What do these things _mean_ , Landon?”

“They mean,” He paces away from her. “They mean that I still care about her, and she cares about me! But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“Wow. Well I’m really feeling this love right now, Landon. Truly.” She snaps.

“For god’s sake, would you cut me some slack, Hope! This whole situation hasn’t exactly been easy.”

“Slack?” Their responses are flying back and forth with a sharp quickness now. “If I cut you any more slack I’d be cutting you free.” They breathe heavily for a moment, staring at one another. “But maybe that’s what you want. To be cut free so you can run off to Josie.”

That isn’t what he wants at all. He just wants things to feel like they did last year, when they were in love, and happy. “Well what do _you_ want, Hope?”  
  


“I want you to stay away from Josie.” She says evenly.

“What?”

“You heard me. This little threesome we have going on, where we’re all friends and everything’s peachy– it isn’t working. Only one of us can be friends with her. And that’s me.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He laughs in disbelief. Then: “Why do you get to be friends with her?”

“Because I was friends with her first. Because she’s my _best_ friend, and you have Raf.”

“But– no, that’s not the same.” He protests.

“Why not? If all she is to you now is a friend, then why can’t Raf suffice?”

“You really think controlling who I’m friends with is healthy?” He counters.

“Perhaps not, but I think you set the unhealthy bar pretty high when you went whispering in her ear about all our personal secrets.” Her face is stony. “If you can’t be trusted around her, you can’t be around her, simple as that.”

“Josie won’t want that. You’re going to make her upset.” No sooner are the words out of his mouth does he feel his body lifting from the air and propelling back towards the door. “Fuck! Ow!” He curses as his back collides harshly with the wood.

Hope has her hand held out, keeping him pinned as she stalks towards him, eyes ablaze. “ _I’m_ going to make her upset? Who was the one that caused her to have a meltdown in front of half the school? _You_ have handled her emotions with no care and the only reason I’m not making you pay right now is that you’re my boyfriend and I love you. I know you aren’t a bad person, and I know I’m not innocent in all of this, but you better tread carefully Landon, and stop playing with people’s emotions. Stay away from her.”

They’re face to face, the uncomfortable pressure of her magic against his chest. It’s a battle of wills that he is never going to win.

He nods.

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wade is not a fairy in my fic because that was a stupid storyline that detracted from an otherwise strong legacies episode. Sorry Wade.

“MG is having a movie night tonight.”

“Have fun.”

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “This is me inviting you. It’s not just me and him watching a movie together.”

Josie stretches on her bed–the place she’s been for almost the entirety of the day. “Pass.”  
  


“Oh come on! You can’t be lazy over in his room instead?”

“My laziness requires one key element: being _alone_.”

Lizzie comes and sits on her bed, pouting. “You owe me for ditching me for Hope yesterday.”  
  


“Sorry, Lizzie. But things can’t go wrong for me if I stay by myself.”

Lizzie gets up dramatically, heading over to the closet. “You know, this self-pity spiral you’re on is really tiresome.” Josie isn’t even going to bother commenting on the irony of that statement. “Look,” Lizzie leans into the closet and comes out flourishing a bottle. “I’ve got a bottle of wine–courtesy of Sebastian– it’s inner circle only, one film. _Come._ For me?”

It has been mildly depressing lying in bed all day. “Fine.”

“Yes!” Lizzie claps. “But you’re not coming unless you brush your hair. You look homeless.”

  
  


***

  
  


At around 8pm that evening Lizzie drags Josie through the school over to the boy’s wing. 

“Damn this school is angsty at the moment.” Lizzie remarks as they pass several students engaged in arguments. Josie has been thinking the same thing. Sundays were usually quiet, but today it seemed like every third person they came across was worked up about something.

“Do you think Alyssa has been stirring up trouble?” Josie asks. 

“Maybe. She knows everything about everyone so it’s well within her power.” Lizzie sounds a little envious of that. “This would be her idea of a fun time.”

They reach MG and Kaleb’s room and Lizzie knocks loudly. Josie can hear music and laughter coming from inside. 

“My girls!” MG greets when he opens the door. Lizzie can’t quite hide her smile as she pushes past him. Josie follows, with reluctance once she sees who’s inside: Jed, Landon and Raf all stand around a speaker holding beers as Kaleb fiddles with a small T.V on his dresser. She was kind of hoping it would just be them, MG and Kaleb. 

Both Jed and Landon glance at her when she walks in with similar expressions: wounded, wistful and very awkward. Landon almost immediately looks away from her, which leaves her confused. Was he upset?

She can’t see Hope anywhere which doesn’t surprise her, but is still disappointing. Things are complicated and tense between the two of them right now, but Hope is still the person who makes her feel the most okay about herself. She’s shared some very vulnerable moments with her recently, like when she sang to her…she can’t quite explain it, but it felt like there was this tether between the two of them.

“Hey.” She spins around when she feels a hand on her arm. 

Hope. 

“Hi! Where did you come from?” For some unknown reason she feels herself flushing. Hope eyes her a little curiously.

“The bathroom.”

“Oh. Right. I didn’t think you’d be here.” She trips over her words a little. What is wrong with her? She can feel the awkwardness of how she bailed on Hope yesterday creeping up on her.

Hope frowns. “Do you not want me here?”

“That’s not what I meant.” She says quickly. “Just surprised.”

Hope shrugs. “Nothing better to do.”

“Right.” Josie nods, crossing her arms. There’s a stilted pause between them.

“Listen Josie, about yesterday–”

“Hope.” Lizzie greets, popping up beside Josie and cutting Hope off. “Can I interest you in some wine?” 

“I wouldn’t want to waste it.” Hope says airily. “It takes a lot more than a sip of wine to have any effect on me, so you _non-tribrids_ should enjoy it.” She smirks slightly and Josie rolls her eyes, stifling a smile.

“Well,” Lizzie has a smirk of her own. “I may have persuaded sweet, innocent Josie here to add a little something extra to the concoction.”

Hope raises an eyebrow at Josie. “Do tell?”  
  


Josie chews on her lip. “I mixed in a little Kava. It’s a tropical plant from the Pacific Islands that I was growing in the summer when it was particularly hot. They drink it there like we do alcohol.” 

“Like getting drunk, but au-natural, and with less liver damage.” Lizzie jumps in.

“I liquified it.” Josie continues, taking the bottle. “I’d forgotten about it until Lizzie reminded me today.”

“Josie figures it has a better chance of affecting your system than alcohol, because it’s a plant, so your overactive tribrid immune system won’t attempt to purge your body of its effects.” Lizzie recites keenly. “And I for one, would like to see an inebriated Hope.”

Hope looks impressed, turning to Josie. “You’re quite the little herbal Witch aren’t you?” 

Josie smiles sweetly. “Indeed. So you better watch out, Mikaelson.”  
  


“Is that so?” Hope steps towards her, as if taking the challenge. 

“–stop hogging the aux dude! Why do you think you’re the only one who can choose good music?” MG’s voice rings out, drawing the attention of the girls.

“My speakers, my choice.” Kaleb argues. 

“Well I’ll go get _my_ speakers then.”

“Yours are terrible, man. The balance between beat and vocals is shit.”

MG looks highly offended by this statement. “My mom bought me those speakers for my 15th birthday!” MG’s mom is a touchy subject. They haven’t spoken since before the summer.

“Well your mom clearly hasn’t heard of _quality_.” 

Lizzie intervenes before MG can retaliate. “Boys! What’s with the mind-numbing arguing? Both of your tastes in music are shit, happy?”

“Not as shit as your taste in men.” MG snaps. Josie winces.

It’s silent aside from the music croning in the background.

Lizzie looks shocked and very hurt. Josie is surprised – everyone is – MG never takes a shot at Lizzie.

“If you’ve got a problem with Sebastian, spit it out.” Lizzie says, once she’s regained her composure.

“Christ.” Hope mutters to Josie. “Pass me that wine.” Josie hands it over without argument and Hope takes a long swig.

“I think everyone has a problem with Sebastian.” MG says, laughing meanly. Lizzie glances around at the other boys who all avoid her gaze. “He’s got an insufferable stick up his ass and fancies himself as some kind of mystery man. Why do you think I didn’t invite him tonight? Why do you think the only guy who will room with him is _Wade_?” 

“Hey!” Landon interrupts. “I like Wade.”

“Considering he’s been alive in several different _centuries_ to us, I would say he’s got a little bit of mystery about him.” Lizzie snaps. “He’s been nothing but friendly to you, MG. To all of you.” She says, sweeping her eyes around the room. “I’m sorry that he’s sexier than you, taller than you and more charming than you, but jealousy is an ugly colour.” She smiles sarcastically. MG narrows his eyes.

“Woah. Okay, why don’t we all calm down?” Josie slides awkwardly between the two of them, facing Lizzie. “How about some of that wine?” She makes desperate eye contact with Hope over Lizzie’s shoulder who quickly steps forward and offers up the bottle. Lizzie snatches it and takes a sip without taking her eyes off MG.

Raf takes initiative too. “Beer?” He holds out a can to MG, but he bats it away. 

“I’m sorry Lizzie,” Josie relaxes. Maybe this argument will blow over after all. “–I’m sorry that you think so _little_ of yourself that you’d settle for a guy who we all know has done terrible things. He doesn’t deserve redemption, yet you think you can make him better.” He scoffs. “That’s the problem with you Saltzman twins, everyone can be fixed or saved, right? You both fundamentally lack the belief that anyone decent will ever love you.”

“Dude.” Landon is frowning. 

Josie feels something inside her seize up. Lizzie looks similarly deflated, the fight momentarily gone out of her.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hope steps forward angrily. 

MG throws his hands up. “I’m not saying anything that anyone who’s close to them doesn’t already know. If I have to be the bad guy, I will be.”

Hope smiles darkly. “No one actually asked you to be anything– no one asked for your opinion at all.”

“Cause only your opinion matters, right?” 

Hope practically bares her teeth.

“MG, man, what’s with all the anger?” Raf puts a hand on his shoulder but he shakes it off. 

“I can’t deal with all the _damn_ hypocrisy in this room. I’m out of here.” MG speeds out the door before any of them can blink. 

Once he’s left, there’s a release of pressure in the room, like the air just got a little less heavy. Josie notices Landon frowning, seemingly focused on a spot across the room. She tries to catch his eye to see if something is wrong but he avoids her gaze.

“Well.” Kaleb says, clasping his hands together. “That was weird. Do people still want to watch a movie?”

***

_Lord of the Rings_ wins the vote. Josie votes for it knowing that Lizzie is secretly into fantasy (big time) and that it will cheer her up. Landon votes for it because he’s obsessed with it. The other boys are happy enough to watch it and Hope says she doesn’t care.

They lay out all of MG and Kaleb’s blankets and pillows, and arrange themselves upon them. 

Jed hands Josie the softest pillow with a small smile. “Thank you.” She says, smiling back, and he nods before going to sit beside Kaleb.

She’s a little confused about where she stands with Jed right now. Neither of them have had the chance to discuss their kiss the other night, but she appreciates him not pushing for anything at the moment.

Josie knows his reputation, maybe he’s not interested in anything serious anyway?

Still lost in thought, she heads to the back to sit beside Hope, who’s leaning against one of the beds, clasping the wine. 

The lights are turned off and the movie begins. As she watches it, Josie wonders if Hobbits are actually real.

Hope nudges her knee with her own. Josie turns to face her. “Want some?” Hope whispers, offering the bottle. Josie hesitates.

“The last time I drank didn’t exactly end well.” 

Hope smiles. “Well this time you’re not downing a bottle of vodka, just a little herb infused Pinot.” Josie is still unsure. “C’mon,” Hope leans into her. “How else are we going to get through this 3 ½ hour film?”

Josie takes the wine.

“Good point.”

After about 40 mins of talking in occasional whispers and passing the bottle back and forth, Josie has begun to feel the effects, and if she’s not mistaken, Hope has too. Her face is a little flushed, and she’s leaning more into Josie as though her will to keep upright is fading. Josie’s brain feels sluggish, her eyes struggling to follow the characters on the screen.

“What creature do you think I’d be?” Hope whispers into her neck.

It takes her a second to process the question. “From _Lord of the Rings_?” Hope nods. “An Elf, definitely. Lizzie used to force me to watch this when we were younger, and my favourite part was always when Arwen saves Frodo on her horse. She’s so badass, and her beauty is just...ethereal. Obviously.” She chuckles.

Hope’s warm breath strokes her throat. “You think I’m ethereal?” Her voice sounds so shocked, so small and vulnerable, that Josie moves back to look at her in surprise. Her bright eyes seem a deeper blue, the flickering of the screen reflected in them. Jose feels like the moment has switched from casual conversation into something else. Something _more_.

She swallows, caught on Hope’s eyes. “You’re so many things, Hope. Special and selfless and beautiful– inside and out.” She breaks eye contact to look down at the wine bottle in her hands, watching the golden liquid slosh back and forth as she turns it. She can’t believe Hope still doesn’t know these things. “No one else even comes close.”

Hope inhales sharply but doesn’t respond at first, yet Josie can feel her heavy eyes on her in the dark. She traces the writing on the bottle’s label with her finger, hoping she hasn’t said too much.

“Do you really believe no one good will ever love you?” is what Hope finally says. It’s not what Josie is expecting and her eyes flick up to meet Hope’s in shock. 

“Um,” The word gets stuck in her throat when she sees how intensely Hope is looking at her. “I don’t believe in good people and bad people. I think everyone has both in them.” 

“That doesn’t answer the question.”  
  


Josie squeezes her eyes shut, her head throbbing suddenly. She leans back against the bed. “People’s love for me is always temporary, conditional. Lizzie is the only person who I know will always love me. And MG was wrong. Her issue lies more in the fact that she thinks she’s defective, so she turns to guys who haven’t seen that part of her.”

She opens her eyes when Hope still hasn’t said anything after twenty seconds. She’s surprised to find that she looks angry. 

“What?”  
  


“You think I’m going to stop loving you?” Her voice is controlled, but low and displeased. 

“I–” Hope’s words settle hotly in her chest. She doesn’t really know what to say. 

Realisation dawns on Hope’s face. “You do know I love you, right?”

Actually, she doesn’t. They’ve never exchanged _I love yous_. “Yes?” It’s not convincing. 

Hope shakes her head, sitting back. “I can’t– you’re ridiculous.” 

“Sorry.” Her voice is small. 

“No,” Hope softens. “Don’t apologise. I just–” She sighs frustratedly. “I thought it was obvious.”

Josie thinks about all the times Hope has protected her, worried about her feelings, told her she was her best friend. In retrospect it should have been obvious, but–

“People have cared about me before, it doesn’t mean they won’t leave me, or stop caring eventually.”

Hope stares at her before leaning forward on her hands, inches away from Josie’s face. “I will _never_ leave you.” She whispers the words firmly, emotion lapping at their edges. “Do you understand?”

It feels a lot like a promise – the dangerous kind. 

“Yes.” She whispers back.

***

“Welcome, Witches, to Coven Day!” Emma’s cheerful voice rings out across the hall as Josie trudges in with Lizzie. “Today, we come together and realise that while we are all different, we share one common identity, and one powerful history.” Sporadically placed around the hall are different stalls for various Covens, with Witches gathered around them. 

“Why am I even here?” Josie whines to Lizzie. “We are the only two in our Coven, it’s sad. I’d rather be working out how to dispose safely of the damn hourglass.”  
  


Due to the Ogre and the midterms, Josie had been distracted from her main looming problem– well, second looming problem after the Merge– but now it was time to refocus. 

“I know. I’m as worried about it as you are, but as usual, dad has his priorities in completely the wrong order.” Lizzie sighs. “I can’t believe he thought encasing it in concrete and dropping it in the _sea_ was a good idea!”  
  


“The water pressure would end up cracking it. I’m pretty sure he just thinks: _out of sight, out of mind_.” Josie huffs. Her dad’s been getting on her last nerve recently. “Have you spoken to MG?” She asks carefully.

“Nope. And I’m not going to. He was severely out of order last night.” 

“It was completely unlike him. He’s usually so mild mannered…” Josie ponders. “And Kaleb told me this morning that when he came back to their room he was really torn up about it all.”

Lizzie looks at her sharply. “Are you making excuses for him?”

“No!” She says quickly. “He hurt me too, remember.” 

Lizzie nods, accepting her response. Reluctantly, the two of them take a seat at the back of the hall. They’re soon joined by Hope. 

“Ah, another loser who doesn’t have a Coven. At least we’re not alone.” Lizzie greets her.

“Hello to you too.” Hope turns to Josie. “Meet me in my room later, I have an idea for a spell that might buy us some time with the hourglass.”

Josie nods. “Okay.”

Lizzie huffs. “You two always leave me out.”

Hope ignores her. “I like your hair today, Jo.” She says, flicking a strand. Josie had straightened it and pinned part of it back.

She smiles shyly. “Thanks.”

“Has anyone seen Alyssa Chang?” Emma calls out. She’s been running through a register of all the Witches. No one speaks up. 

“My day will be vastly improved if I don’t have to see that Witch-bitch.” Lizzie remarks and the other girls nod in agreement. They have no such luck though as Alyssa chooses that moment to make her dramatic entrance, flinging the doors open with a flick of her hand. Hope rolls her eyes at the performative display.

“Glad you decided to join us, Alyssa.” Emma says, mouth pressed in a thin line.

“Sorry I’m late, I just really didn’t want to come.” Alyssa responds, surveying the room with disdain. A few students giggle at her remark. 

“Bet she thought that was the burn of the century.” Lizzie says. Josie laughs.

“Now that everyone’s in attendance, we can begin the Coven presentations.” Emma says, ever the enthusiast. 

In a truly pedantic affair, groups of witches from each Coven begin to give their presentations one after the other. Josie feels utterly restless, her brain flicking through possible solutions for the hourglass.

“Lizzie and Josie, would you like to go next?” 

Her words snap Josie out of her thoughts, and she looks at Emma in confusion. 

“Excuse me?” Lizzie says.

“Your Coven presentation.” Emma supplies helpfully.

“Yeah, no. We’re not doing that.” Lizzie says dismissively. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Emma, we don’t exactly have much of a Coven. On account of them being, you know, _dead_.”

“So why don’t you come and talk about your history a bit? I’m sure everyone would love to hear.”

“No, we really wouldn’t.” Alyssa mutters. All the other witches have turned in their seats to stare at the twins. Josie is uncomfortable under their gaze.

“Come on, girls.” Emma encourages and the twins slowly get up. Josie glances back at Hope and notices she’s trying to hide a smile. 

“Well,” Lizzie says once they’re standing at the front, dragging out the word. “This is awkward.”

Hoping to get this over with quickly, Josie takes over. “So we come from The Gemini Coven, an extremely old coven which originated in Portland. Our coven is unique because it always selects a leader from a set of twins. This is done through a process called _The Merge_.” Everyone, aside from Hope (who gives her an encouraging smile) and Emma, is staring blankly at her. This isn’t exactly common knowledge. “When the twins reach twenty-two they must merge, where the stronger of the two absorbs the power of the other twin.” 

Several students are now looking aghast. One witch calls out: “What happens to the weaker twin?”

“They die.” Lizzie answers bluntly. Josie looks down at her hands.

There’s a shocked silence in the hall. 

“So, Emma. Are we done here?” Lizzie asks sweetly.

Emma clears her throat. “Uh, yes. Thank you girls.”

The twins go and sit down as whispers spread across the room like wildfire. 

“Well, that was cheerful.” Hope remarks. 

“She asked for it.” Lizzie shrugs. 

“Dad’s not going to be happy that everyone knows.” Josie sighs. 

“Screw dad.”  
  


***

“So, I’m supposed to talk about my coven, but I don’t have one.” Wade starts out his presentation awkwardly. 

“Maybe because nobody wants a witch who can barely perform a spell.” Alyssa mocks. Most of the other students laugh. Josie sends a glare her way. “She’s being extra mean today.” She whispers to Hope, who frowns. 

Wade clears his throat and continues. “I guess I wanted to use this time to talk about what it’s like as a chubby, male witch who doesn’t really belong.”

“Oh god. Not another sob story. We’ve already had the tragic story of the Saltzman twins’ doomed fate, now we’ve got to hear about how hard it is to be fat?” Alyssa says, exasperated. 

Josie spins around. “Give it a rest, Alyssa. We’ve all had to suffer through your irritating voice all day– imagine that?” There’s a chorus of oos from the witches around them and Alyssa glares back at Josie.

When Josie turns back around Hope is staring at her with something in her expression that she can't put a finger on. (Admiration?)

“What?”

“Nothing.” But she throws another glance Josie’s way while she attempts to refocus on Wade.

He stumbles through the rest of his presentation on difference and acceptance and Josie really wishes Emma would just call this whole day off. Thankfully, Alyssa refrains from making any more snide comments.

When he finally finishes, Emma steps up to the front again. “Thank you, Wade. You have really encompassed the message that I’ve been trying to put across today.” She looks around at the students. “I’ve noticed there is an awful lot of tension in this room. I understand that as Witches we _feel_ a lot, we are constantly in touch with the environment around us, to the earth that speaks to us. But we _cannot_ let it overwhelm us.” 

She smiles brightly. “I would like to try a meditation circle.” 

There’s groans all around.

Lizzie throws her head back dramatically. " _Please_ God, kill me now! Put me out of my misery."

Josie shares a look with Hope, and the way she's biting down on her lip to stifle her smile coaxes out one of her own.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave Jed a full name– Jed Lee– since legacies can't be bothered to. If they ever do I'll change it but I'm not holding my breath
> 
> enjoy:)

“Okay everybody, close your eyes and think happy, calm thoughts.” _Not likely,_ Josie thinks as Emma attempts to talk in a soothing tone. She’s sat between Hope and Lizzie within a circle of witches while the Mora Miserium sits with her useless dad, inching closer each second to breaking down. 

“I have summoned this sphere as a representation of your shared emotions. Our aim is to each find peace within ourselves so we can keep it a calm green, and let go of any animosity towards one another.”

Right. Happy thoughts. Josie tries to sway her mind to things that make her happy: twin cuddles, MG geeking out about superheroes, playing guitar with Landon, doing magic with Hope, Hope telling her she loves her and the way that made her feel important to someone for the first time in weeks…

“I _know_ you’re just using me.” Maria’s voice cuts through her concentration. “You’re not actually my friend, you just think I’m a pushover you can copy from in _Chemistry of Magic_.”

Josie opens her eyes. Maria is directing her accusation at Lucy, a witch from the Goth Coven, who’s eyes widen in outrage. “ _I’m_ not a friend? How about you, always bitching behind my back!”

“Girls–” Emma attempts to intervene but suddenly left, right and centre, squabbles are starting up, overlapping each other in a chaos of overwhelming noise. The sphere turns a heated red.

Josie notices that Alyssa is watching her with a calculating look. This can’t be good. She’s not dumb enough to think that Alyssa would ever let the way Josie slighted her go. 

“I don’t know what’s _more_ pathetic,” Alyssa begins in a lazy drawl, her voice somehow managing to cut through the haze of incessant arguing. “The fact that the only boyfriend Lizzie can seem to get is 600 years old,” Lizzie’s gaze snaps sharply to Alyssa. “Or the way that Hope and Josie take turns stealing that _loser_ off each other in some kind of embarrassing mating ritual. I know lesbians like to play the long game, but _god_ is it painful to watch.”

Josie freezes in surprise as Lizzie laughs incredulously. “ _Mating ritual_? Someone hasn’t been taking their pills.” 

“You’re one to talk about pills, Saltzman. Aren’t you like, recently discharged from the nuthouse?”

Lizzie stands up angrily. “Why don’t you come over here and say that?”

Josie sneaks a glance at Hope. Her face is as impassive as ever but there’s a faint colouring to her cheeks which Josie assumes is from annoyance. Her arms are folded but her posture is rigid as she watches the quarrel between Lizzie and Alyssa.

“I don’t need to. I can kick your ass from here.” Alyssa says, smiling coldly. “ _Incendia_.”

Both Josie and Hope stand up abruptly as Alyssa sends the ball of fire at Lizzie, Hope deflecting it with her hand. 

“You _bitch_!” Lizzie exclaims in shock.

“What the hell, Alyssa?” Josie growls. “You trying to set her on _fire_?”

“It’s not like anyone would miss her.” Alyssa snarks.

Seeing red, Josie grabs Hope’s arm roughly, siphoning from it. “Jo– she’s not worth it–” Lizzie starts to say but Josie ignores her, stepping forward slowly, her movements controlled and predatorial. Only when she can see herself reflected in the black of Alyssa’s eyes does she whisper, “Say or do anything like that again, and I will choke _every last breath_ out of you.” She can feel the magic crackling at her fingertips and something dark thudding in her blood. 

Instead of backing off, Alyssa steps even closer. “Is that a promise?” She whispers, her breath fanning across Josie’s face.

Josie reels back. “You’re sick.” She spits. 

“And you’re what– stable?” Alyssa laughs breathily, giving Josie an appraising look, smirk in place. “Looks like we’ve been watching the wrong twin.”

“Enough!” Emma calls out suddenly, casting a comfort spell that sends glowing blue butterflies up into the air. The arguing stops abruptly as the spell momentarily brings peace to all of their minds. Josie stumbles back from Alyssa–who’s still smirking–to stand beside Lizzie, who wraps an arm around her waist. “Everyone, go to your rooms. Cool off.” Emma sounds highly disappointed in them all.

The witches waste no time exiting the hall, Alyssa barging Lizzie’s shoulder on her way past. 

Lizzie sends her a filthy glare but otherwise ignores her, focusing on Josie. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Josie brushes off her concern. “She just gets to me.”

“She gets to us all.” Lizzie agrees angrily. “God I’d like to squish her like a bug.”

“What did she say to you?” Hope asks, frowning. 

“Uh, nothing.” Josie deflects. “She was just trying to wind me up.”

Hope doesn’t look convinced, but before she can speak again Lizzie says, “Good lord, what’s _he_ doing here?”

Josie follows Lizzie’s eyeline to see Landon standing in the doorway, waving dorkily to get their attention. Confused, they head over to him. 

“Landon, what is it?” Hope questions.

He’s panting, as if he just ran to get here. “Something is wrong.” He wheezes. “I think we have ourselves a new monster.”

***

“So you saw it and you just left it there with Raf and Jed?” Hope asks with disbelief in her voice.

The four of them are currently speed walking to the dining hall.

“I didn’t know what else to do! The two of them were arguing–”

“About what?” Josie cuts in.

“Uh, I think it was to do with the pack, and being Alpha.” He replies, keeping his gaze ahead. “Anyway I thought I saw it in MG’s room last night– like a glimmer of it– but when I really looked, it had vanished. I assumed I was just imagining things.”  
  


“First rule of going to a school that’s constantly under attack from Malivore: you’re not imagining it.” Lizzie says.

“Noted.” Landon replies sarcastically. “But just now, at lunch, this argument seemed to escalate out of nowhere, and when I looked up, there it was! Right behind Jed and Raf. It looked like it was whispering in their ears.”

“Freaky.” Lizzie pulls a face.  
  


Josie stops suddenly. “You think it’s been whispering in all of our ears? Encouraging anger?” Perhaps that was why she threatened Alyssa.

“It would explain why all the witches were so worked up just now.” Lizzie agrees.

“What does it look like? I didn't see anything.” Hope asks.

Landon considers for a second. “Kind of like an Uruk-hai, but bluer.” 

Hope and Josie frown in confusion as Lizzie eyes widen. “Gross!”  
  


“I’m sorry, are we missing something here?” Hope says impatiently. 

“Oh right, I forget some people aren’t well versed in the Lord of the Rings universe.” Landon chuckles, before quickly getting to the point when he sees Hope start to glare. “It’s like the leader of the Orcs, the one who rises out of the sticky stuff, kills Boromir with three arrows?” 

“I know who you mean!” Josie exclaims. “He’s scary.”

“Right.” Hope drags the word out. “Let’s get to it quickly then.”  
  


The cafeteria is in pandemonium. Almost every student is engaged in discourse, and the noise level is at an ear-splitting high. Josie feels a small relief when she sees her dad, before realising he’s arguing with Emma and Dorian, who looks close to punching him.

“Fuck.” Lizzie says, eyes wide. “This isn’t good.”  
  


“Raf!” Landon calls out, running off suddenly. The girls follow him to find that Jed has pinned Raf down, and is whaling on his face. Raf is scrabbling at Jed’s neck, trying to get a hold of him. 

“ _Dimiterre_.” Hope sends the boys flying apart. Landon runs to Raf, whereas Josie tries to check on Jed, but Hope pulls her back by her arm. “Don’t. He’s violent right now.”

“He won’t hurt me.” Josie protests, trying to pull herself out of Hope’s grasp, but she holds tight.

“He’s a wolf in a rage, he could hurt anyone.” She says firmly, her eyes serious.

“I’m not gonna hurt her.” Jed has risen and is holding his hands up in a gesture of peace, though he still looks agitated – like he could pounce at any second. His lip is split and dripping blood onto his shirt but otherwise he seems unharmed. 

“Yeah, aside from Raf, whose face you just scrambled.” Lizzie retorts. Raf is definitely looking worse for wear: blood splattered across his whole face, one eye swollen shut and his nose painfully crooked. Landon is crouched beside him, his green eyes furious. 

“Not my fault only one of us has been hitting the gym.” Jed shrugs. 

Hope marches forward. “You think this is funny?” She hisses and Jed narrows his eyes, fists automatically clenching. Josie rushes to get between them.

“Hope, he’s been affected by the monster. It’s not his fault.” She mediates. “I’ll take him to cool off, the rest of you help Raf clean up and hit the library. Get Kaleb and MG on it too. We need to know how to kill this thing, and fast.” She peers around Hope, who’s still bristling with annoyance. “Landon, can you see it in here?”

Landon glances around the room, his eyes flicking from place to place rapidly. “There!” He points to a far corner. 

“I don’t see it.” Lizzie says bluntly. 

“Neither.” Hope sounds frustrated.

“Must be something to do with Landon’s biological link to Malivore.” Josie mumbles thoughtfully, her interest piqued. 

Landon makes a face, never overjoyed when reminded of his heritage. “Great. Well, thanks dad. I guess.”

“It’s definitely an advantage we can use.” Josie says. Raf chooses this moment to stand up, his eyes locked on Jed in a deathly glare. She feels Jed tense behind her. “Okay then. I’ll meet you guys in the library soon.” She turns to leave, her hand on Jed’s arm. 

“You’re seriously going with him after what he just did to Raf?” Hope asks incredulously. Jed scoffs. Josie turns back around and sees that Landon is also frowning at her. 

“I’m pretty sure there were two people in that fight,” Josie responds, crossing her arms. “Raf just happened to be losing.”

She walks away without waiting for a reply, but still hears Lizzie say “She’s into him, which means he can do no wrong right now.”

_Sisters. So annoying._

  
  
  


***

  
  


“You don’t have to do this, you know. I’m capable of cleaning my own face.” Jed mumbles as she dabs at his lip with a wet tissue. “The cut’s probably healed already.”

They’re in the girl’s bathroom. Josie is sat by the sinks while Jed leans against the countertop, hands either side of her body. It’s new for her, being around a guy much taller than Landon. Jed’s aura is so different, solid and intense instead of scattered and whimsical. 

“I’m trying to distract you from your burning rage towards Raf. Stop talking.” She chides. 

He does, instead choosing to watch her face intently. She flushes under the scrutiny. 

“What?” He asks, a smile in his voice as she leans back. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

He shrugs. “You’re nice to look at.”

“Oh.” She clears her throat and throws the bloody tissue at the bin, missing. Jed chuckles.

“Nice aim.” 

“Shut up.” She smiles. “So... why are you so mad at Raf? Or was it just the monster making you feel that way?” 

Jed crosses his broad arms. “Yes and no.” He begins hesitantly. “I don’t think I’d have had a full on brawl in the middle of the cafeteria with him, but…” He looks at her seriously. “I fully intend to get my Alpha position back.”  
  


She raises an eyebrow, amused by his solemn tone. “Do you now?”

He smirks, leaning his hands forward again. “Yes.” They lock eyes for a long moment, faces only inches apart. “Go out with me on Friday.” Jed says suddenly.

“What?” Josie feels shy. “I don’t know– there’s so much going on…”  
  


“Come on, let me take you to dinner. What’s holding you back? Landon?” He asks quietly.

She looks down, choosing not to reply in favour of her dignity. 

“He’s never going to leave her, you know that. They’re like, self-proclaimed soulmates or whatever.”

_Soulmates_. The word settles like a rock in her stomach. Landon is Hope’s, and Hope is Landon’s. 

She needs to stop holding on to a memory. 

“Okay.” She says softly.

“Okay you’ll go out with me?” Jed asks eagerly.

“Only because you’re so obviously desperate.” She teases.

“You got that right.” He whispers, all mischievous brown eyes and smug smile as he leans into her.

Another difference between Landon and Jed: he kisses her a hell of a lot harder.

(She isn’t complaining.)

  
  


***

  
  


“Nice to see you’ve decided to join us.” Lizzie calls out sarcastically when Josie and Jed get to the library a while later. 

Josie glances guiltily at Jed who looks totally unbothered. Okay, so maybe she got a little distracted.

Lizzie has her legs propped up on a chair at a table with Kaleb and Landon. There’s yellowed books scattered all around them. Hope is on the higher level of the library, looking over the bannister at Josie with clear disapproval in her eyes.

“Uh, Jed needed to get cleaned up. I waited for him.” Josie scrambles for a defence. Everyone looks pointedly over at Jed, whose school shirt is still stained with blood.

“Riight.” Lizzie smirks.

Hope jumps down from above, landing directly in front of Josie who flinches back in surprise. Her eyes drop down to Josie’s lips, swollen from Jed’s aggressive kissing, and Josie licks them self-consciously.

Hope follows the movement with her eyes for a second, before her face hardens. “Seriously, Josie?” 

“What?” She says poutily. Hope doesn’t use that tone with her often. 

“You were off– _making out_ – with him?” She lowers her voice when she says the words, but evidently not enough since everyone still hears. 

Lizzie snickers and Landon says petulantly, “Making out? With _Jed_?” 

Clenching her jaw in irritation, Josie snaps back, “Oh so you’re talking to me now, Landon?”

He guiltily avoids her eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

She barks out a laugh. “You’ve barely _looked_ at me in two days!”

Lizzie raises her eyebrows, enjoying the drama. “Huh. What’s _that_ about Lamedon?”

“Good one.” He retorts.

“You were the one telling us we needed to _hit the library_ fast,” Hope pulls Josie’s attention back to her. “And then you spend half an hour making out with that bonehead!” 

  
“Hey!” Jed steps forward. “What are you, her keeper?”

Hope smiles sweetly, her eyes flashing. “You know Lee, I’ve been _really_ wanting to hit you for a while now.”

“So _do it_.” He growls, but then Josie speaks. 

“He’s right, Hope.” She’s fed up. “I’m my own person, stop trying to dictate everything I do.”

Hope’s face flashes with hurt but she quickly covers it up. “I’ll stop when you stop doing stupid things.”

“ _Ladies,_ ladies.” Lizzie appears beside them. “This is just the monster talking. Calm down.”

Josie grits her teeth, trying to refrain from responding to Hope. It doesn’t feel like the monster, it feels like her.

MG chooses that moment to walk in. “Sorry, I got held up tryna calm some vamps down. How’s the research going?”

Kaleb gives a sigh of relief. “Thank god you’re here, bro. This drama has aged me 10 years.”

MG looks sheepishly at Lizzie. “Hey, Lizzie.” 

Lizzie considers him for a second. “Hi.” She says shortly. “Right, let’s get back to the books.”

***

  
  


“I might have something!” Landon calls out, his finger on a page. “A Qareen. It’s an Arabian monster that whispers insecurities and feeds off discord. It comes from a different plane, a place for creatures that don’t have a solid temporal hold in this world. Legend has it that it was once a man, a great Arabian leader, a tyrant who enjoyed the miseries of his people. A powerful witch whom he wronged cursed him to another plane– and the very misery he loved became his sustenance to live.” He reads.

“Sustenance to live?” Kaleb asks.

“The more strife that surrounds him, the greater its hold in this world. Right now, to most of you, it's invisible, intangible. Soon it will materialize into our plane for all to see.”

“To throw an idea out there: what if we just tell him to leave?” MG offers. Everyone looks dubious. “I'm serious, not every monster is malicious, right?”

“Maybe…” Landon murmurs. “Oh no, wait. The effects of discourse only work to get him into this plane, not keep him here. To remain in this world he needs a witch to lift the curse– and that kind of curse would take a powerful being– but in the meantime…” He blanches.

“What?” Hope says sharply.

“Eating a human heart will give it more time in our plane. The witch apparently wanted to make him the monster she already thought he was.” 

There’s a revolted pause as everyone digests this information. Josie feels her blood run cold. 

“But the only human in our school is–”

“–our dad.” Lizzie finishes her sentence, voice grim.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question for you readers: whose POV would you be more interested in seeing first? (not next chapter, but soon) 
> 
> Raf or MG?


	14. Chapter 14

“Lizzie, go check on dad. Tell him what’s going on.” Josie’s eyes are wide as she starts to flick messily through the book Landon has been reading from, tearing a page by accident. Her panic is coming off of her in thick waves. “Hope, we have to figure out how to kill this thing, _now_.” She looks up at her desperately, every part of her reaching for support. 

“Of course, Jo.” The hurt Hope is feeling takes a modest backseat as she steps forward, grasping Josie’s nervous hands. “It won’t stand a chance.” She runs her fingers over Josie’s knuckles. 

Lizzie has already gone, MG tailing her meekly. Landon gently takes the book back from Josie and begins to read. “We have the best chance of harming it when it is actually in our plane– the more physically _there_ its body is, the easier to attack it.”

“Easy. We chop its head off. Bam. Dead.” Kaleb says, slapping his hand on the table for effect. 

“It’s a cursed creature, there’s very little human left about it. It’s more spirit-like that anything...I don’t know if a weapon would do much harm.” 

“So magic.” Hope says, still holding Josie’s hand across the table. “But what spell?” She wonders outloud. “It’d have to be powerful–”  
  


“I might know something.” Josie murmurs, eyes unfocused. She gets up abruptly, slipping her hand out of Hope’s and heading to the door. 

Hope shares a confused look with Landon. “I’ll go after her.” She says.

“Josie!” Hope calls. “Care to explain what you’re doing?” She catches up to the brunette, who keeps walking with purpose.

“We need to sever any ties it has with our plane altogether.” Josie says briskly. “Send it away for good.”

“Not exactly a simple thing to do.”

“Of course not. We need the right spell, and the kind of power that would challenge the magic cast by a very formidable witch.” They reach the twins’ bedroom and Josie glances at Hope, a small smile hovering at her mouth. “Good thing I’ve got a Tribrid.” She unlocks the door as Hope lets the confidence in her words wash over her warmly. 

They step over a damp towel– left there by Lizzie if Josie’s huff tells her anything– and Josie heads straight to her desk, muttering a quiet spell that results in a click as the drawer unlocks. “Can’t be too careful with a sister as nosy as Lizzie.” She pulls out two books: one Hope recognises as Josie’s special notebook– a Grimoire in process– the other black and leatherbound. 

Josie smooths out her skirt and sits down cross legged on the carpet, the books by her side. Hope hesitantly joins her. 

“I need to use your phone.” Josie says, holding out her hand. 

“What for?” 

Josie rolls her eyes and, in lieu of answering, leans forward on her knees to slip her hand into Hope’s skirt pocket. She pulls out the phone with a smug smile and Hope lets her, caught on the scent of jasmine and soft hair against her cheek.

Flicking to the back of her grimoire, Josie runs her finger down a list of scrawled numbers. “I need to call my Aunt Bonnie. She’s done spells that deal with other planes of existence– guaranteed that was the Other Side which isn’t what we’re dealing with, but she may be able to help.”

The phone rings and rings until Bonnie’s automated voice sounds out, telling them to _leave a message_.

“Aunt Bonnie, I hope you’re doing well. I, uh, need your help with a spell– it’s urgent. Please call me back when you get this.” Josie hangs up with a sigh. “Hopefully she calls soon.”

“I’m sure she will.” Hope reassures, eyes on the leather book. “So what’s that?” She points to it.

Josie looks a bit shifty. “Promise you won’t be _judgy Hope_?”

Hope raises an eyebrow. That sounds suspicious. “Josie. Tell me.”  
  


Nervously playing with the binding of the book, Josie starts to explain. “Headmaster Vardemus– I mean, Clarke– gave it to me.” She opens it, and Hope can see just by glancing that it’s filled with spells and rituals. Josie starts to turn the pages. Some are loose, others look glued in. The handwriting seems to vary. “He would get me to learn spells from it for our private sessions that we had. I think, I mean I never asked at the time, but I reckon he must have pilched the spells from witches over the years. He’s been alive for like, forever, right? Landon knows his life story. But imagine how many other witches he could have inhabited or tricked.”  
  


“Knowledge is power.” Hope murmurs. “So, it’s all dark magic I presume?” Josie’s eyes flick to hers and away again.

“Most of it.” She says quietly. 

Hope feels frustration– and anxiety– flare up inside of her. “And you _kept_ it?” She hisses. “Why didn’t you hand it over to your dad?”

Snapping the book shut, Josie glares back defensively. “What is he going to do with it? Lock it away? Burn it? You’re right, Hope. Knowledge _is_ power, and now I have that power.”  
  


Hope sits back in disbelief. “I don’t have to tell you about the dangers of black magic, Josie.”

Josie chews on her lip. “I can learn to control it, find something more permanent than the Mora Miserium. I can be _strong_ , Hope.”

“Dark magic might make you powerful, but it corrupts the balance of your mind, its peels you away from within. I _know_ , I’ve had that darkness inside me–” She cuts herself off, inhaling sharply as unwanted memories flood her conscience. ‘Trust me, you don’t want it.” 

“Sometimes it’s the only thing that works–”  
  


“No!” Hope grabs Josie by the shoulders. “ _No_. There’s always another way.” 

“Is that so? It was dark magic that allowed me to bring the memories of you back, and it will be dark magic that defeats this creature looking to take my father’s _heart_!” Josie snaps. “We are surrounded by darkness Hope, and that which is created by darkness, must be fought with it.”  
  


They stare at each other for a long moment, both too strong willed to back down. The phone ringing breaks through the haze of tension.

Josie picks it up quickly. “Hello? Aunt Bonnie! Thank you for calling– yes it’s a bit of a strange one but I’ll quickly explain…”  
  


***

“Your dad texted. He’s okay.” Hope tells Josie who looks up, relief evident on her face. “However, arguments and fights are apparently spreading like wildfire across the whole school. It won’t be long until the Qareen is on our plane.”

“We’ll be ready soon.” Josie replies, frowning down at a page in her notebook where she is working out a spell they can use. “So to send an unwanted spirit back to the Other Side, Bonnie said she used _Phasmatos Redux Redismo Sus Terra_. We can use the words _Phasmatos redux_ – spirit return– but we don’t know _where_ we are sending it.” 

“It’s a clever but cruel concept really.” Hope says. “The Qareen has the ability to view this world but not physically _live_ in it, or interact with it. Not easily anyway. It’s like staring through glass.”

“Yeah well, wronging a witch is never a good idea. I'm sure he deserved it.” Josie replies. “But that just makes it all the harder to work out this spell. It’s so similar to the Other Side in that sense– being in this world, yet _not_ – but the Qareen isn’t _dead_.” She drops her pen in frustration, running her hands through her hair. 

Hope thinks, playing absentmindedly with a ring on her finger. “Perhaps knowing where it’s from isn’t important.” Josie looks at her dubiously. “Think about it: we don’t care where we send it, we just want to block it from this plane.”  
  


Josie’s eyes widen and Hope feels herself grin in response. She’s constantly in admiration of Josie’s intelligence. “I’ve got it!”

***

Hope and Josie head at a fast pace towards the assembly hall, the ingredients for the spell in their hands, and the pressure of time chasing their heels. Alaric had texted ten minutes previously to say that the Qareen had been sighted by several students now. It was in their plane. 

“Lizzie says the boundary spell is up.” Hope reports, glancing at her phone. “Your dad is there playing bait. Once it enters, it can’t get out.”

Josie nods but as they pass her dad’s office she pauses. “Wait. I just want to check my dad locked the Mora Miserium away. He might have forgotten with the monster getting in his head.” 

Hope anxiously glances in the direction of the hall. “We don’t have much time…”

“I can’t leave the hourglass out in the open, it’s too dangerous. You go ahead and set up the spell.” Josie hands over the pots of herbs she’s holding. “I’ll catch up with you.”

Pressing her lips together to stop herself from arguing, Hope nods. “Okay. But hurry.”

Hope has made it only twenty metres when she hears Josie let out a scream that’s cut off abruptly. 

“Josie!” Dumping the spell ingredients on the floor, she runs to Alaric’s office, her mind thinking the worst. _Idiot. Shouldn’t have let her go alone._

Josie is sprawled across the floor, a nasty cut on the side of her head. Hope rushes over to crouch beside her, fingers going straight to her pulse. It’s beating steadily, if a little quickly. “Damnit.” She growls. It had to have been the Qareen. Biting into her wrist, she fumbles for her phone with her other hand, dialing Alaric. 

“Drink, Jo.” She pushes her wrist against Josie’s lips. Her eyelids are beginning to flutter now but she firmly presses her mouth shut against the taste of blood. “Stop being stubborn.”

_“Hope? Is something wrong?”_

“Yes. The Qareen attacked Josie, but I don’t know where it’s gone.”

She hears Alaric curse. _“Is she alright? Where are you?”_

“Your office. She’s okay, but knocked out right now. She was checking on the–”

–the hourglass. 

_“On what? Hope?”_ _  
  
_

Hope dashes to the cabinet where Alaric keeps the Mora Miserium locked away. It’s empty.

“Fuck! It took the hourglass.”

_“What would it want with that?”_

“There’s a lot of dark magic in there, any creature would be tempted.” Hope’s brain is moving a mile a minute. “Send MG and Kaleb here, now.” She hangs up the phone.

“Hope?” Josie is attempting to sit up, hand pressed against the cut on her temple.

“Hey! You’re okay.” Hope quickly crouches beside her again, cradling her head with one hand. “I swear you’re going to give me grey hairs.”

Josie chuckles, closing her eyes tightly. “God, my head is thumping.”

Hope offers her wrist. “Drink. You need to be full strength if we’re going to do this spell.”

Josie pouts. “I hate the taste of blood.” She whines.

“Ok. Be dizzy and feeble while we try and banish a creature from our plane then.”

Hope can practically see the emotions that pass through Josie’s eyes in a matter of seconds: stubbornness, revulsion, acceptance. “Fine.” 

She gently presses her lips to Hope’s wrist and begins to drink. Hope will never get used to strange pull of someone taking her blood, yet something about Josie being the one to do it feels –

“What’s going on?”  
  


Hope spins her body half the way around without removing her wrist from Josie’s mouth. “Landon? What are you doing here? I asked for MG and Kaleb.”

A brief flash of hurt crosses Landon’s face and if Hope wasn’t so stressed right now she’d probably feel guilty. “Right. Sorry. Dr Saltzman sent them to look for the Qareen. I’m here to watch Josie while you join them.”

“I don’t need watching.” Josie is sitting up properly now, expression firm. “We’re wasting time. I’ll go set up the spell. Hope, you just make sure that damn monster finds its way to the hall _without_ breaking the hourglass.” At Hope’s confused face she says, “I heard you on the phone to my dad. Seriously Hope, if it breaks, who knows what will happen to me.”

Hope nods, her resolve hardening. “I’ll get it.”

  
  


***

  
  


The hallways are empty now, though the air seems thick with the harsh words spoken all day long. 

Hope assumes that Alaric has sent the students to their rooms, so she listens keenly for any misplaced sounds. Despite her cool exterior, anxiety lodges hard in her throat. She isn’t nervous about the monster– she has seen a lot worse– but the thought that it potentially carries Josie’s _life_ in its nasty hands.

“Come on Qareen, show yourself.” She calls out. “I’ll exchange you a heart for the hourglass.” She won’t, but _it_ doesn’t know that. “It’s a fat juicy one as well. You like 40-year-old man heart, right?”

The sounds of rapid footsteps startles her and she swings around, on guard. It’s MG who comes sprinting around the corner, his eyes widening in relief when he sees Hope. “Hope! Follow me– we’ve found it.”  
  


Kaleb is vampire speeding around the creature when they get to him, confusing the hell out of it. It flails, snatching at him with one long-nailed hand as the others grips the hourglass– thankfully still intact.

Hope pulls a face. “God, it really is ugly.” Then she smirks. “The true form of rotten men.”

MG eyes her warily. “Okaay then. How ‘bout we kick its ass?” 

Hope shakes her head. “Wait a moment.” With a twist of her wrist, the hourglass flies into her hand and the monster hisses at her, a very human emotion of bemusement thick in its eyes. “ _This_ belongs to my friend. Didn’t your mother ever teach you that stealing was bad?” She passes the hourglass over to MG. “Drop that and I’ll break your kneecaps.” She warns. Then she takes several steps back, stretches back her shoulders, and _runs_.

It hardly sees her coming. 

She’s always relished that moment just after she jumps– has done since she was younger and first triggered her werewolf curse– it’s the closest thing she has to flying.

The kick hits the Qareen hard in the chest and he shoots backwards, about ten metres from the assembly hall doors. Hope stands with a hand on her hip, head tilted. “Not quite.” She runs again, kicking it just as it manages to rise again. This time it skids right through the doors.

“Damn girl.” Kaleb says, eyebrows raised. “Remind me not to piss you off.”

“Did you really need reminding?” MG asks, voice a little pitched.

The three of them, with Hope in the lead, walk into the hall where Alaric, Lizzie, Landon, Jed, Raf and Josie are staring at the crumpled creature on the floor.

“You certainly know how to make an entrance.” Lizzie remarks, unable to hide the mildly impressed expression on her face.

“I’ve been feeling like kicking something for a while now.” Hope returns. 

The Qareen begins to rise so she runs over to Josie who sits in a circle of salt and candles, a small medicine bowl in front of her. “Are you ready to do this?” She asks, squeezing Josie’s knee. The girl nods, taking the lid off a box containing a rat. Hope watches as Josie looks with big mournful eyes at the rat dangling from her hand like a yoyo.  
  


“I’ll do it.” Hope says softly, taking the rat and picking up a knife. She slices the rat open from tail to head, letting the blood drip into the bowl. 

The two witches join hands, and with the potent smell of blood and sage caressing their noses, they begin the spell. Vaguely, as though outside of their bubble, Hope can hear Lizzie shouting spells to keep the Qareen in place, but all that truly matters to her in this moment is the feeling of hers and Josie’s magic intertwining. Hope finds that all magic feels different: boundary spells feel hard and unyielding, elemental magic feels cool, like the brushing off nature upon your body. This is heady, a thrumming that spreads up her arms, gliding hotly across her mind. The danger and chaos that lies in dark magic makes it unpredictable, and requires extra focus. Having touched it before, Hope keeps it tamed within her, and only hopes that Josie can do the same.

She squeezes Josie’s hands in her own, their murmuring getting louder and louder until it is a crescendo that she can feel all around them.

The Qareen begins to scream, sounding disturbingly like the man it once was, and both girls open their eyes to watch it writhe and twitch before fading out of their sight completely. Josie turns back to Hope, still clasping her hands, and their eyes meet like magnets. Hope is startled by the darkness that replaces their normal warm colour. 

“Are you okay? I mean, how do you feel?” Hope asks anxiously.

Josie's fingers twitch in her hands as she breathes in slow and deep. There's the hint of a fluttering smile. 

“Alive.” 

***

“Come in.” Hope calls out when she hears a knock. She’s just about done setting out the spell’s ingredients.

Josie walks in, dressed in a thin tank top and pyjama bottoms. She’s holding the hourglass. “Hi.” She says delicately, her voice like a warm breeze. Hope can barely place the darkness she saw earlier in the soft, unthreatening girl standing before her.

“Hi.” Hope smiles as Josie sits on the floor. “You know, we don’t have to do this right now, if you’re drained from this afternoon–”

“–I’m fine. Honestly, I’ll feel a lot better once this has a protective barrier around it.” Josie murmurs, her finger obsessively tracing the hairline fracture that appeared upon the hourglass earlier.

Hope nods, fully in agreement. For the second time that day, they link hands, yet this time they recite the spell with gentleness, their voices barely a whisper. A comforting blue glow seems to birth from their hands, spreading around the hourglass like a second skin. Hope looks at Josie and sees that her eyes are still closed. There’s something vulnerable about her expression.

“Do you feel that, Jo?” Hope asks, her voice quiet. “That’s what magic should feel like.” Gently, she untangles their hands. With a featherlight touch, she traces her fingertips across the backs of Josie’s hands, up her bare arms and over her shoulders. “It should feel like you are so in tune with the natural world, that it's every ebb and flow,” She draws a circle and Josie shivers. “can be felt across your body.” Hope continues the path of her fingers up Josie’s neck and across the fluttering of her pulse which she presses her thumb against. “This. This is what tells you you’re alive.” Hope leans closer to whisper fiercely in Josie’s ear. “So _be alive_ , Jo. Don’t sell your soul to the darkness.” 

Her own heart is thudding heatedly as she tries to lean back, but Josie’s hands grab desperately at her t-shirt, twisting the fabric. She presses her forehead against Hope’s, her shaky breath brushing Hope’s lips.

All the while, Josie keeps her eyes screwed shut, as if afraid what might happen were she to open them.

  
  



	15. Chapter 15

Something has changed between them. 

Hope isn’t sure what it is, just that when Josie opens her eyes, eyelashes fluttering hesitantly, she looks at Hope like she’s supposed to know.

They stare at each other for a long while, the silence becoming increasingly charged and confusing by the second. Josie’s mouth is parted, hands still grasping her t-shirt as if it's her anchor. 

Maybe Hope took it too far, maybe she’s pushed Josie back into her well-guarded shell. But she thought that touch might do what words failed to. That even if she wouldn’t listen, she would _feel_. Hope _needed_ her to understand how dangerous practicing dark magic was. 

A large part of her blames Dr Saltzman for this. The witches in this school – his own _daughters_ – needed mentors that could guide them to use their immense powers in ways that weren’t harmful to themselves or others. Instead, unbeknownst to him, he’d let Clarke become Josie’s mentor at a time when the balance between benevolence and malevolence, rationality and impulsivity, was increasingly delicate within her.

It makes her blood boil that he's so damn careless with such a special person.

There is no chance in hell that Hope is going to idly watch as Josie gets sucked up into things she doesn’t understand. If no one else will, Hope will be her mentor.

Right now, their faces are mere inches apart. Josie’s eyes seem endless, a hint away from being as strikingly dark as they were after the girls performed their spell. 

(A part of her, deeply buried, senses that this time, it’s for an entirely different reason.) 

Finally, Josie speaks. “Choosing to _sell my soul_ to something, or, uh, someone,” She looks down bashfully. “is not something I do lightly, Hope. Just because I think I could use dark magic to our benefit, doesn’t mean I’m ready to put on my Darth Vader mask. You don’t need to look at me like I’m some ticking bomb.”

Hope isn’t stupid. That neither confirms or denies whether Josie will continue to do dark magic. It is merely a deflection, a particular talent of Josie’s. But it’s been a long day, and she can practically feel the exhaustion seeping out of her friend, so – for better or worse – she lets it go. For now.

“I’m just worried about you.” Hope says carefully, her eyes tracing Josie’s face, which softens. She lets go of Hope’s shirt, fidgeting with her hands instead. Her expression seems to be hovering around one of guilt now.

“I know, sorry.” She mumbles. 

“Don’t apologise, just–” Hope sighs. She has so many words to say but can’t think of a single one that feels adequate. “Look, why don’t you get some rest?”

“I would.” Josie pouts. “But Sebastian is in our room, which means he and Lizzie are probably doing stuff that I don’t want to see.”

Hope scoffs. “That’s inconsiderate of her. You guys _share_ a room, she can’t just ostracize you from it whenever she pleases.”

“It’s either me or Wade.” Josie gives her a small smile. “And Sebastian has sent that poor boy packing from their room quite a lot recently. I felt it was probably my turn.”

There’s a pause as Hope considers something, a sprinkle of nerves fluttering in her stomach. She doesn’t want to cross a boundary for what could be the second time tonight. But then, Josie yawns, covering it with her hand. “Well, you’re already ready for bed. Why don’t you stay here tonight?”

“Oh, um,” The faintest blush coats Josie’s cheeks. She seems caught off guard. “I can wait it out in the library or something, you don’t have to–”

“Jo, come on. As if I’m going to let you sit in some dingy library until midnight. Just stay here.”

“Okay.” Her voice is small and shy.

“Okay.” Now she doesn’t know what to do. “I’m gonna like, go change and brush my teeth.” Hope gets up awkwardly and heads to her dresser. Josie watches her from the floor. “You can get into bed if you want.” Hope gestures stiffly.

Josie nods and Hope hurries into the bathroom. As she stares at her own pale face in the bathroom mirror, she curses her awkward side for coming out to play, her Hope-hasn’t-had-many-friends side. It wasn’t like Josie didn’t sleep in Hope’s bed just a couple of nights ago, but she’d needed taking care of: she was drunk, upset. Josie had cried, Hope had comforted her and then they’d both practically collapsed from emotional exhaustion. Hope knows what to do in those situations. She can be the picture of confidence when it comes to saving the day, fighting, even bossing people around. But when it comes to new situations with her girl best friend, she feels very out of her depth.

When she walks out of the bathroom, Josie is tucked up in her bed, the covers pulled up to her chin, dark hair splayed across Hope’s blue pillow. The sight of it sends a pleasing flush across her body. She has the strange thought that this is an image she’d like to keep perfectly preserved in her mind, a second where, for once, everything feels just... _right_.

Josie has turned off the main light and turned the bedside lamp on, bathing the room is a soft glow. Hope delicately slides into bed beside her, staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t have a disease, you know.” Josie teases lightly, a hint of insecurity in her tone. “You don’t have to hide on the other side of the bed.”

Hope smiles, rolling over until she’s facing Josie, much closer than before. Josie turns on her side to face her too. It’s reminiscent of their closeness a mere ten minutes ago.

“So...some day, right?” Hope says.

“Some day.” Josie agrees. “Though, sadly, not unusual in this school.” She yawns again, moving closer. Hope’s body thrums with awareness of her presence. She isn’t usually one to share beds with people. On occasion, Landon, but only when she’s anxious, when her deep rooted fears of abandonment come crawling nastily up her throat and she needs him close. 

Josie, on the other hand, is obviously _very_ used to sharing a bed. Hope has always found it a bit weird that the twins sleep together, especially now that they’re older. 

Josie’s feet brush hers and she jerks them back in surprise. 

“Oh, sorry.” Josie looks mortified and Hope feels like a jerk. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” She begins to move backwards, face flushed, and Hope acts desperately. She reaches forward to grab Josie’s slim waist, and pulls her back towards her. 

She’s obviously momentarily forgotten her own strength– _and_ underestimated how light Josie is– because Josie ends up pressed right against her, her eyes wide in surprise. Their noses bump hard, causing them both to reflexively pull their faces back. They stare at each other, their combined breathing the only sound permeating the room.

“Um…” Josie starts, looking very unsure.

“Sorry.” Hope breathes. She can feel Josie’s bare stomach where her t-shirt has ridden up, pressed against her own. Every breath she takes causes their skin to brush. “I just didn’t– you know, you can stay. Where you are, I mean.”

“You like to cuddle?” Josie asks curiously, not making any move to change their current position. She sounds surprised.

Hope frowns. “Uh...sure?” 

If the smile that lights up Josie’s face is anything to go by, she’s pleased with this new information. “Me too.” She snuggles closer– if that’s even possible– laying her head down on Hope’s shoulder. 

Hope swallows, slowly sliding deeper under the covers. She mumbles a quick spell that extinguishes the bedside light, cloaking the room in darkness. Hesitantly, she interlinks her fingers where they meet at Josie’s back.

“I like to be held.” Josie whispers after a few moments of silence. “It stops me from disappearing into my thoughts.”

“I can hold you.” The words feel raw in Hope’s throat. “I don’t want you going anywhere.”

Josie lets out a small, contented sigh that brushes Hope’s face, but she somehow feels everywhere. “Thank you.” The words are breathy, disappearing as Josie falls into sleep the way one might fall into a soft mattress.

Hope doesn’t fall anywhere. She remains there, in her bed, hyperaware for at least two more hours, learning Josie when she isn’t there to hide herself.

  
  


***

  
  


“So. Girl’s night. Friday. What do we think?” Hope, Lizzie and Josie are currently queuing to get their lunch. It’s a grey, drizzly Tuesday. Very uneventful, much to Hope’s relief.

She turns to look at Lizzie with no small amount of suspicion. “Since when have you ever wanted to do a girl’s night with me?” 

“Oh c’mon, are you still stuck on that whole we hate each other thing? I thought we bonded over sharing your doomed secret last month? I was even willing to let go of the fact that you would have thrown me to that Ogre!”

Hope glances at Josie who’s been unnaturally quiet. The secret that Hope and Lizzie kept is a sensitive subject for her. She knows that Josie took it very personally. “Yeah well, I still wouldn’t call us bffs.” She spoons mashed potato onto her plate.

“Whatever.” Lizzie dismisses. “So, Friday?” She repeats. 

Hope shrugs, seeing no issue with it. “Sure.” 

“Josie?” Josie is staring at the salads. “Earth to Josie?”  
  


Hope can see the moment that Josie tunes back into the conversation. She blinks and her spine straightens. “What?”

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “You, me and Hope. Movie night on Friday.”

“Alrigh–actually, no. Sorry, I can’t.” She gives the two girls a small apologetic smile. “I have plans.”

“Plans?” Lizzie sounds an equal mix of baffled and outraged. “Doing _what_?” 

The three of them have sat down at a table with their food before Josie responds reluctantly. “I have a date. With Jed.”  
  


Lizzie sits back in surprise. “Huh.”

Hope’s stomach coils unpleasantly. _Jed. Arrogant son-of-a–_ “A date? I didn’t think he was the type.”

Josie frowns. “To what? Eat? Go to the movies?”

“To bother with a date first.” Hope replies smugly. Lizzie snickers around a mouthful of food.

Josie narrows her eyes at Hope, causing the smile to drop off her face. “I don’t know what problem you have with Jed, but unless it’s got some sort of significant basis, I suggest you drop it.”

Hope bristles. She doesn’t usually let anyone speak to her like that, but she can tell from Josie’s stiff posture that she’s on the defence. Lizzie is looking at the two of them with raised eyebrows. 

Hope stabs her fork into her mashed potato. “I don’t have a problem with him.” She says sullenly. “It was a joke.” Josie gives her a look like she doesn’t believe her one bit.

“Okay ladies, retract the claws, I just had a brilliant idea.” Lizzie claps her hands together. “There’s a way we can allow for boyfriend time _and_ girl time. Triple date!”

“What?” Hope asks at the same time that Josie goes “No way.”

Lizzie pouts. “Why not, Josie? Me and Sebastian, you and Jed, Hope and Landon. It’ll be fun. We deserve it after all the... _stress_ recently. I mean, the last social event we had didn’t exactly go to plan–”  
  


“So what makes you think mixing us all together is a good idea?” Josie hisses.

Hope’s first thought is to, like Josie, protest vehemently. But then she realises that this could give her a chance to keep an eye on Jed. Make sure he doesn’t try anything.

“I could do with an evening away from this place.” Hope shrugs. Josie’s eyes flick to hers in astonishment. 

“Yes, Hope! I _knew_ you had an inkling of fun buried somewhere within you.” Lizzie exclaims.

Josie is shaking her head. “No. No way. I’m not doing this. Landon is hardly even speaking to me at the moment–” Hope cringes with guilt “–and Sebastian isn’t even friends with the other boys. It won’t work.”

“Can’t you see what I’m doing for you here?” Lizzie demands. Josie just looks at her. “I’m offering you a _buffer_. First dates are almost always awkward. This way you can see how you get on with Jed, without all the usual pressure! If it's awkward, then we all head back together.” Josie’s resolve appears to be wavering so Lizzie continues eagerly. “But, if it goes well, you can always split from us after dinner.”

Josie considers her. “You won’t make stupid comments at Jed all night?”

Lizzie looks affronted. “I think it's Miss Bad Attitude over here that you should be asking that.” She jerks her thumb at Hope who scowls. Josie looks at her with raised eyebrows.

“I couldn’t care less about Jed as long as he doesn’t try to act all macho.” She says obtusely.

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “He’s an ex _alpha_ , Hope. Of course he’s macho. Not everyone is into betas like you.”

“Who says I’m into betas?”

“Uh, your incredibly beta boyfriend?” Lizzie says, looking like she doesn’t know whether Hope is joking. Even Josie hides a smirk. 

“He’s not– just because he’s sensitive and nice doesn’t mean he can’t take control of a situation! He can be an Alpha.” She splutters indignantly.

Lizzie cackles, waving a hand in front of her face. “Good one, Hope.”

“He can!” She glares. 

“Oh yeah? Give me one example.” Lizzie says.

Hope feels stumped, unable to think of anything, which leads her to snap “I don’t need to prove anything to you.” before standing up to leave. 

“Hope…” Josie starts when she sees that she’s annoyed, and Hope almost hesitates at her voice. But her pride gets the better of her. “I’ll see you later.” She says, voice clipped. It always hurts more when Josie joins in on the teasing.

Striding down the corridor, she sees Landon and Raf coming to get some lunch. 

“Babe! Hey.” She calls out, smiling. Landon startles at the sound of her voice, looking around until he sees her. 

“Hi.” He grins, swerving through students to get to her. Raf follows, already looking like he wishes he were elsewhere. 

She leans in to kiss him. His lips feel like they always do, puffy, soft, a little dry, but also strangely unfamiliar. It feels like she hasn’t kissed him in ages. Friday’s party seems so long ago now. Due to her annoyance at him the past few days, they haven’t exactly been very intimate with each other. 

When they pull back Landon seems pleased that her animosity towards him has faded. Hope glances at Raf who is lingering off to the side. Thankfully he seems to gauge that she feels a little awkward. “I’m gonna head to lunch, Lan.” Raf says, pointing in the general direction of the cafeteria. 

“I’ll catch up with you.” Landon nods. “How’s your day been?” He asks, turning back to Hope.

She presses her lips together. “Could be better.” Before Landon can question her she continues. “How would you feel about a date night Friday?”

His face lights up, and he pulls her closer. “I would say I feel very good about that.”

She feels a little guilty now about the next part. She hadn’t thought that he would get so excited. “Ok. How would you feel about a _triple_ date night?”

His brow furrows. “What, like three nights in a row?”

“No, like with two other couples.”

“I would say that sounds like your idea of hell. Who are the couples?”

“Lizzie and Sebastian–” Landon doesn’t look pleased. “– and Jed and Josie.” His face completely falls. 

“What?” He whines. “I couldn’t think of two worse couples.” She agrees with him there. Then, Landon’s face hardens. “ _You_ told me to keep away from Josie! And now you want to have a date night together?” He accuses.

“Yes, I know. I still don’t want you hanging out with her on your own. But… she’s sad that you’re ignoring her–”

“Because you told me to–” He interrupts.

“– _I know_. Which is why I’m changing the terms of the agreement.”

“An agreement suggests input from both sides.” He says sulkily.

She lets that comment slide. “This allows us to make amends as a group. We need it after that disaster party. Don’t you want to make Josie happy?” 

Landon looks thoroughly confused. “Of course I do–”

“Great. Then it’s settled.” She pecks him on the lips again. “I’ll see you at dinner.” She leaves him standing within the current of students wading through the hall. 

Now she just has to get through a hellish date night.

***

Hope goes with black jeans and a tight v-neck top with a pretty, deep blue floral pattern. She takes time with her makeup and straightens her hair until it falls way past her breasts. She’s putting on some hooped earrings when she hears a knock on her door.

“Come in.” She calls, turning around to see Landon. He’s not the kind to dress smart but he looks cute, a green plaid shirt tucked into jeans, with a brown jacket. His eyes are wide as he takes her in. 

“How did I get so lucky again?” He steps eagerly forward to kiss her but she turns her cheek. 

“Lipstick.” She teases and he scoffs, faking offence. 

“Not exactly fair to deny me when you look like that.”

“Sorry, babe. Life is unfair.”

She grabs a coat– they’re well into November now and it’s _cold_ – and the two of them head down to meet the others.

She sees Lizzie and Sebastian first: he, of course, is wearing all dark colours, and she is in a white turtleneck that goes well with her silver blonde hair. 

“Where’s the other happy couple?” Hope says in lieu of a greeting. The boys nod at each other.

“Nice to see you too.” Lizzie says, her eyes flicking up and down Hope’s body. “Wow, way to advertise your best assets, Hope.” Her eyes linger at chest level. 

Hope zips up her coat. “Perv.”

Lizzie scoffs. “You wish. To answer your question: they are yet to grace us with their attendance.”

“Did you not get ready together?” 

“Are you accusing me of abandoning my sister? She got ready and then went to his room.” Lizzie says haughtily. 

_That_ piece of information doesn’t sit well with Hope at all. She looks agitatedly towards the stairs. “Why are they taking so long?”

“I can think of a few reasons.” Sebastian says, a smirk playing at his mouth. She knew there was a reason she didn’t like him. Landon shuffles next to her, also looking uncomfortable. 

“Why don’t we give them five minutes and then one of us can go knock on his door?” He suggests.

“I’ll give them one.” Hope says shortly.

A stilted minute later, Hope is ready to go break Jed’s door down when she hears a giggle that she instantly recognises. “They’re coming.” She says.

Appearing at the top of the stairs is Jed and Josie. She’s hanging from his arm, giggling into it, while his smirk wavers between pleased and smug. Hope has a flashback to their similar arrival at Raf’s party.

“Took you long enough, Jo.” Lizzie grumbles. “We’ve been standing here for ages.”

“You have not.” Josie shoots back.

They come down the stairs and Hope’s eyes can't help but catch on Josie– she looks too lovely. She’s wearing a dark skirt and tights, with a red blouse that exposes her delicate collarbones. Her lips are smudged crimson, hair down in loose waves. She carries a jacket which she’s currently trying to put on, her right arm getting stuck.

“Are you drunk?” Lizzie accuses.

Josie scoffs instead of answering, which Hope takes as a yes. Jed helps her with the jacket. “We had like _two_ drinks. I need something if I’m going to spend the night with you stiffs.” He says.

“ _Stiffs?_ ” Lizzie sounds highly offended, and Sebastian has an irritated look in his eyes. Any further talk is prevented by Josie dramatically smoothing her jacket down and flicking her hair out of her face. 

“Now _that_ nightmare is over, thanks to _you_ ,” She flirtily places a hand on Jed’s chest and Hope is hating this evening already. “I can properly greet people!” 

She practically crashes into her sister, the two of them stumbling several steps as they hug. “Josie!” Lizzie exclaims, her voice muffled by the fact her face is squished between Josie’s neck and shoulder.

After a few moments of Lizzie struggling in her grasp, Josie lets her go, spinning around to give Sebastian a hug next. The hug is stiff and awkward on his side, although Josie doesn’t seem to notice. 

“Landon!” She says, pausing in front of him. “Are you acknowledging me again?” Her sternness is undercut by the slight stumble she takes before reaching him. 

“Uh, yes.” He says awkwardly. “Sorry about that–” He’s cut off by her hug which he immediately relaxes into. Hope eyes his hands which have slipped around her waist.

Josie lets go before Landon does, turning to Hope with a cheeky grin. “And for my favourite…” She murmurs, reaching forward with her arms out. Hope accepts her eagerly, all stroppiness at being left until last melting away at the word _favourite_. Josie squeezes her hard, before leaning back and giving Hope a kiss on her cheek with an exaggerated _mwah_. 

Hope’s face is on fire when Josie steps away, and she’s all too aware of everyone looking at them. She knows that Josie is an affectionate drunk, she’s just never really been on the _receiving_ end of it before.

She clears her throat. “Shall we go?”

  
  


***

  
  


They catch the local bus into town, bagging the back seats. Josie, in her quest to reclaim the term _lightweight_ , lies with her head in Hope’s lap and her legs in Jed’s, laughing loudly at all his unfunny comments. She plays with Hope’s fingers, making dumb comments about the colours of headlights blurring through the windows. 

When the bus gets to their stop, she sits up suddenly, almost crashing her head into Hope’s. 

“Jesus.” Hope mutters. “Come on, you.” She stands up, dragging Josie up with her by the waist. It’s a little difficult with their height difference. 

“I’ve got her.” Jed says, reaching out. 

“It’s fine.” Her voice could cut glass.

Josie isn’t paying attention to either of them, instead fumbling with getting her handbag strap over her shoulder.

Jed looks at Hope, eyebrows raised. “Pretty possessive aren’t you?”

She scrunches her face up at that ridiculous comment, choosing to walk off the bus with Josie instead of replying. 

Lizzie eyes Josie when they step off the bus to join the others. “We’re thinking the Italian restaurant _Zizzis_ –if Josie can hold it together enough not to get kicked out.”

Josie rolls her eyes. “I’m tipsy, not catatonic. Let’s go.”

They squish into a booth: Jed, Josie and Lizzie on one side, and Landon, Hope and Sebastian on the other. The mood is surprisingly light for the first hour. There’s a slight giddiness at being away from school, at having some _fun_ for once. They order pizzas and cokes and gossip about teachers and students. 

Landon talks about what it’s like to die. Hope can’t remember how they got onto that topic. “It’s not like I’m aware of anything, while I’m ‘dead’.” He says, air quoting. “As far as I know, no time has passed between when I die and when I wake. But when I come back to life...it’s like having this fire spreading just under my skin, quicker and quicker until it can’t contain itself anymore so it bursts out of my body. But it doesn’t hurt, it’s not... _burning_. It’s the closest I feel to being alive.” 

Josie is listening with wide eyes, and Hope remembers now that it was her who asked Landon about it. 

“I can imagine.” Josie whispers, awed.

Landon looks at her with soft eyes. “It’s like when something is almost taken from you, that’s when you realise you want it the most.”

The moment hangs between them long enough for Josie’s expression of wonder to turn to one of confusion. Landon just looks sad.

Hope clears her throat. “I’m going to the bathroom.” She says stiffly, making sure to stamp on Landon’s feet when she moves past him to get out of the booth. 

“I’ll join!” Josie chirps, sliding over Jed’s lap and over to where Hope waits.

There’s a couple of other women using the mirrors when they first go in, but by the time they’ve exited their cubicles they’re gone. 

Josie leans over the sink to stare into the grubby mirror, touching up her lipstick. Hope washes her hands for an unnecessary amount of time, thinking things over.

“Are you having fun?” She finally asks Josie, breaking the quiet between them. 

Josie makes a noise of affirmation, rubbing her lips together. 

“With Jed?” Hope pushes.

“With everyone.” Josie says, turning around. She moves closer to Hope, all red lips and lightly glazed eyes. “Although you seem a little pouty.” She pokes Hope’s ribcage. “Considering you were all for this on Tuesday.”

“An error of judgement.” Hope mutters sardonically. Josie chuckles. 

“Thought so. All our cuddling the night before must have mushed your brain.”

Hope inhales in surprise. “You’re forward when you’re drunk.” She deflects. 

Josie shrugs. “Do you prefer mopey Josie who internalises everything?” 

Hope finds the detached and dismissive way she speaks about herself a little worrying. As a rule, she hates mushiness, but she’s unable to stop herself from saying “I prefer all the Josies.”

Josie doesn’t seem to find it too mushy. She stares at her. Hope shifts uncomfortably under her gaze. 

“You always speak about me like I’m something special.” Josie murmurs finally.

Hope scoffs. All that staring just for her to say something stupid? “Because you are.” She says bluntly.

Josie gives her a small, strange smile. “I’m a twin. There’s a limit to how special I can be.” Then, she seems to snap back into herself, stepping away from Hope. “Speaking of twins, Lizzie will be wondering where we are.” 

She rushes past Hope before she can respond to her previous comment. With a sigh, Hope follows her, feeling oddly tense.

  
  


***

Jed and Landon are trying to explain the concept of Marvel films to Sebastian when they get back to their table. He actually seems engaged with what they’re saying. 

“ _Finally_.” Lizzie says when she sees them. “What were you doing in there? Comparing astrology charts?”

“Something like that.” Josie says, giggling when Jed tickles her in the side as she moves past him.

“Probably gossiping about us boys.” Jed says, grinning. “We’re not safe, bro.” He directs the comment at Landon who actually looks a bit worried when he glances at Hope. She rolls her eyes.

“Oh yes, because our lives revolve around boys.” She keeps one eye on Jed, who has chosen to loop an arm around Josie’s shoulders. She leans against him, accepting the embrace.

“Well,” Landon starts, voice sweet. “Mine revolves around you.” He pecks her on the lips and something brittle inside Hope just _snaps_. She jerks back to look at him.

“Does it?”

“What?” He looks shell-shocked. 

“Does it? Revolve around me? Or is that just more bullshit, Landon?” She spits. 

“Why are you angry?” His voice is pitched with distress and confusion. “Why are you _always_ angry?”  
  


“Oh don’t do that.” She snarls. “Don’t act like I’m this crazy bitch when you’ve been making heart eyes at Josie all dinner!” She picks up on Josie's sharp intake of breath but keeps her eyes on Landon. “You don’t even bother to hide it.”

Landon looks down. “I don’t know what you mean. I don’t look at her in any particular way."

“Oh, so _when something’s taken from you, that’s when you realise you want it the most_ was just a throwaway comment?” She mimics his voice spitefully. 

“No– I, that was about _life_ , about being on the brink of death–”

“SHUT. UP.” She doesn’t know where it comes from, but there’s this surge of emotions within her, and the predominant one: anger. “Just shut up!” Landon’s mouth snaps shut. “I’m so _sick_ of you lying to me.”

“Guys, you’re making a scene–” Lizzie intervenes, looking like she’s about to die from embarrassment as she glances awkwardly around. Many of the locals are staring at their table. “Why don’t you take this outside?”  
  


Breathing heavily, Hope looks away from Landon who seems as though he might cry. A glaring waiter approaches with their check. The teenages fumble into their pockets for cash, all except Josie, who’s frozen, staring at Landon and Hope. Jed pays for her. 

Landon’s movements are robotic as he puts a couple of notes on the table, before standing up and walking rapidly out of the restaurant. The rest of them follow soon after, yet by the time they get outside Landon is already far away in the opposite direction of the bus stop. 

Hope is gritting her teeth, debating whether to follow him when Josie whirls around to face her. 

“Why did you do that?!” She shouts and Hope flinches at the unexpected fire in her voice.

“Excuse me?” Hope is stunned.

“Why did you _humiliate_ him like that?” 

Is she hearing this right? Landon is _not_ the victim here. “ _He_ ,” She throws a hand out in the direction that Landon went in. “Humiliated _me_!” Her voice cracks. 

Josie just shakes her head, looking so disappointed that Hope doesn’t know whether to sob or scream. “He was just trying to enjoy the evening like all of us.” She throws her hands up in defeat. “Why couldn’t you let us have just _one_ evening away from it all? One. Fucking. Evening.” The force of her words create small, punctuated clouds in the icy air. “How _exactly_ did he humiliate you?”

Hope bites down hard on her lip, aware of the other three watching them silently, aware of Landon walking god knows where in the pitch black, aware of Josie’s burning eyes on her face–

And above it all, aware of the one thing she’s been trying to ignore for weeks.

“By so blatantly loving you.”

  
  



	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lizzie has some thoughts about this past week.

It’s no secret that Lizzie Saltzman is self-involved.

She can’t help it that at most points of the day, she’s thinking about herself. Honestly, she believes that everyone should follow her example. And by everyone, she means her damn sister.

Lizzie may be self-involved, but she’s not completely oblivious. Recently she’s been sensing, at certain moments, that something is off with Josie. She doesn’t sleep well, she hardly eats, she snaps at Lizzie far more often than she ever used to. The frustrating thing is that to most people, it probably looks like Josie has made strides for the better. 

Lizzie will reluctantly admit that in some ways, that’s true. Josie is no longer content just to hover in Lizzie’s shadow. She’s grown more of a backbone: less afraid to go after– and _defend_ – what she wants.

The other day, her dad even commented proudly on how Josie’s grown out of her co-dependent ways.

“I’m glad you two aren’t joined at the hip anymore. That kinda thing is fine when you’re seven but not seventeen.” Lizzie had dropped into his office the day after Raf’s party, feeling mopey and lonely because Josie had stayed the night at Hope’s. 

“We’re not seventeen yet, dad.”

“Right. You know what I mean though.”

Despite what her dad may think, Lizzie knows better. Josie has simply transferred her codependency elsewhere. Initially, it was Landon. But now, it’s Hope. 

From what Lizzie can tell, the tribrid seems more than happy to take on the role. In fact, she would say that Hope’s got some serious co-dependency issues of her own. Wherever Josie goes, Hope follows, and vice-versa. 

Lizzie is less than pleased about it.

For the longest time, she only deemed three people worthy of her love and attention: Jo, and her mom and dad. It’s not that she hasn’t searched for others, they just all manage to let her down. That is, until the beginning of last year. She still remembers clearly the moment that a scrawny vampire named Milton joined the school, very quickly developing a deep infatuation with her. He was sweet, unassuming, always ready to help. And though she would take a long time to admit it, they shared a lot of the same interests. 

Only in the past couple of months has she noticed just how much she loves the boy, how far he’s wriggled his way into her heart. And, it’s with a dawning horror that Lizzie realises Hope Mikaelson may hold a spot there too. Not that Hope appreciates it.

If she’s learnt anything about the other girl, it’s that she rarely lets people get close to her, but once she does, she holds them in an iron-grip. Last year, Landon and Josie managed to coax Hope out of her self-destructive shell of feigned indifference. Lizzie didn’t even realise how much Hope had come to care for Josie until that moment in the car home during spring break. The weight of emotion in Hope’s eyes when she turned to look at Josie– and the emotion paralleled in Josie’s– had been shocking.

If Lizzie was to be honest, it had unnerved her a bit. And it’s unnerving her now. Because now it’s _Hope_ who Josie spends her time with, it’s _Hope_ who Josie goes to when she’s upset, even when Hope is the one who upset her in the first place.

For the first seven weeks of the semester Josie was caught up in Landon– and okay, Lizzie’s been caught up in Sebastian– but now with all this drama between Josie, Landon and Hope, _and_ with the addition of Jed, Lizzie’s pretty much been sidelined from her own sister’s life.

“Finally!” Lizzie exclaimed when a hungover looking Josie had skulked into their bedroom last Saturday, party clothes slung over her arm. 

Josie winced. “Not so loud, Lizzie.”  
  


Lizzie was not having any of it. She stood up and stalked over to Josie. “ _That’s_ all you have to say? After that stunt you pulled last night?”

Josie pushed past her and headed for her bed, collapsing face first onto it. 

“And then you go play bed buddies with Hope, _after_ yelling at her, and then I have to deal with that freak barging her way into our room and rooting through your dresser like that’s a normal thing to do!”

“She was helping me out.” Josie mumbled into her pillow.

“Helping you how?”  
  


Josie rolled over, glaring at Lizzie. “Helping me avoid this. Avoid _you_.”

Ouch. There was that snarkiness that Josie had taken a liking to. Lizzie swallowed her hurt. “Your misplaced anger aside, what happened last night, Jo?”

Josie fiddled with her bed cover. “Too much vodka.”

“You can say that again.” Lizzie scoffed. “What the hell were you thinking, drinking that much?”

“I was thinking that I’m sick of _thinking_ all the time. I just wanted to _do_.”

“And _do,_ you certainly did.” Lizzie said, crossing her arms. “Quite the dramatics. I didn’t know you were capable of it, sis.”

Josie only seemed to get angrier. “I’m glad my life is so entertaining for you, but unfortunately _I’m_ actually living it.” She snapped.

Lizzie sighed, sitting down on Josie’s bed. “It wasn’t entertaining, it was sad. I can’t believe that Landon did that to you, that _Hope_ did that to you.” Josie stared firmly downwards, but her throat moved in a swallow. “Did he– I mean when did he tell you?”

“Thursday.” Josie croaked out, a tearfilled quiver to her voice. “He was drunk.”

“No excuse. He really couldn’t keep it in his pants for more than a couple of wee–”

“Lizzie, I really don’t want to think about it. It’s all too confusing.”

“Right.” She paused. “Confusing?” Josie kept quiet. Her whole body was turned away from Lizzie as she stared at the wall. “Did Landon say something else?”

Lizzie watched and waited as Josie stiffened, all but confirming her suspicions. She waited for her sister, her twin, to talk to her like she always used to.

Josie pulled the cover up over her body and to her chin. “I just want to sleep.” She mumbled, back to Lizzie.

Lizzie felt like crying. “It’s 4pm.” 

“I don’t care. I’m tired.”  
  


Lizzie forcefully pushed down the nasty panic collecting in her stomach. “If you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep later. Why don’t I go ask dad for his credit card, and we can order pizza? Watch a movie.”  


Josie sighed. “I’m not really hungry…” Lizzie floundered, not sure what else to suggest. “...but I’m down for watching a movie.” 

When Josie sat up and gave Lizzie a weak smile, she almost crushed her in a hug, refraining only because she didn’t want to appear clingy.

Lizzie was setting up the movie when Landon came knocking, meekly asking to speak to Josie. She honestly could have punched him in the face. Why couldn’t Hope and Landon just leave her sister alone? 

Josie momentarily exiled her by sending her off to the kitchen, but on her way back she caught the end of their conversation. 

“...I always let love consume me.” Josie and Landon were standing close together, Josie confessing the words with an embarrassed disposition, her shoulders hunched. Lizzie watched as Landon seemed to lean towards Josie, as if drawn into her orbit without choice. 

“I–” Whatever he was going to say, Lizzie cut off by storming forward and making her presence known. 

Josie was quiet the rest of the evening, chewing her lip bloody and staring at the screen with vacant eyes as they watched _High School Musical_. Lizzie probed her a few times about her day with Hope, directing a few catty comments at the girl, but Josie only seemed to curl more in on herself, snapping a quick “It’s not Hope’s fault.” that left Lizzie feeling totally bemused. So they weren’t mad at Hope anymore? She couldn’t keep up.

The following day Josie seemed content to bury herself in a hoodie and read _Wuthering Heights_ , only speaking in one word answers. So Lizzie left her to it, heading over to Sebastian’s room.

“Wade…” Sebastian enquired charmingly when he opened the door to Lizzie. “Didn’t you say you were going to the library today?” He didn’t take his eyes off Lizzie. 

Wade was sitting on his bed, a comic in his hands. “Um...well actually–” Sebastian turned and raised his eyebrows. “–yeah I suppose I could go read this there.” His voice was resigned.

“Lovely.” Sebastian’s lips curled into a smile as he pulled Lizzie into the room. 

Kissing Sebastian always felt a little like defying the rules, and Lizzie _hated_ rules.

***

“She’s just so _frustrating_.” Lizzie complained as she lay with her head on Sebastian’s bare chest. “She’s always done this. She keeps all her emotions bottled up inside and then gets mad when I don’t understand what’s going on with her.”  
  


Sebastian hummed and reached for his cigarette packet that lay on his bedside table. With long, nifty fingers, he flicked it open and pulled one out between his lips. 

“Like I get it, her love life is doomed or whatever. But that’s not _my_ fault, is it?”

“Of course not darling.”

“She used to be so attentive, and now she’s just distant.” Lizzie said petulantly. “Is it so wrong that I miss the way my sister used to be?” 

Sebastian took a drag on his cigarette, blowing out the smoke until it swirled around their faces. “Maybe this is who she really is now that she’s grown up a bit.”

Lizzie looked at him, aghast. “Why would you say something so awful? I cannot deal with these mood swings for the rest of my life.”

Sebastian grinned down at her. “Sweetheart, I may have only known you ten weeks, but from what I've gathered, you’ve had your fair share of mood swings.”

“Who's side are you on?”

He put his hands up, ash from his cigarette sprinkling upon the bed covers. “Yours. Always.”

Josie was in the exact same position when she got back to their room, so she forced her to go for a movie night at MG’s. 

It was supposed to be fun. 

Instead, MG was strangely cruel to her (she knows _now_ that it was the Qareen’s doing) striking uncomfortably close to home with his choice of words. 

And yeah, maybe she _did_ like the fact that Sebastian was morally ambiguous, it made her own flaws and misdoings seem minor. And maybe the thought that _she_ could be the one to bring him back to the light made her feel good about herself. But who was MG to judge? Because of his mom’s involvement in the supernatural world, he’d been packed off to the Salvatore School the minute she’d realised he was in transition. Sebastian hadn’t been afforded that same shelter. 

And yet, MG had made mistakes. Done terrible things. He’d _killed_ Landon before anyone knew he was a Phoenix. 

Lizzie thought all of this as MG’s words ricocheted around her head, but she said none of it. Something about being hurt by the person you least expect it from knocks the air out of you. 

During the movie, Josie’s perpetual bad mood made a miraculous recovery through a combination of wine and Hope. Lizzie tried not to be bitter about it and instead focus on _The Lord of the Rings_ , but the two of them whispering away at the back of the room grated on her nerves.

***

Monday got off to a bad start with their continued inability to find a solution for the Hourglass of Doom. Their dad kept making inane suggestions and Lizzie could see Josie becoming more and more frustrated. Her sister always did this thing where she pulled her lips into her mouth when she’s trying to refrain from snapping at someone. 

To make matters worse, it was Coven Day, a day that only ever served to remind Lizzie of how boring so many of her fellow witches were. Like seriously, some of them should actually apologise for how boring they were. It made Lizzie’s brain tired.

Hope and Josie spent the duration of the coven presentations sitting with their shoulders brushing, and while her sister seemed stressed and distracted –likely thinking about the hourglass– occasionally Hope would murmur something in her ear and she’d relax enough to smile. Lizzie sulked with her arms crossed. 

After the twins exposed the truth of the merge to all the gaping witches in front of them, Josie looked even more anxious. 

“Dad’s not going to be happy that everyone knows.” 

“Screw dad.” Lizzie scoffed, watching as Hope squeezed Josie’s knee in support. 

And then, Alyssa Chang of all people, said something that caught her attention. 

They were in Emma’s stupid kumbaya circle, and Lizzie was watching with amusement as the woman scurried around trying to break up arguments, when Alyssa spoke:

“I don’t know what’s _more_ pathetic. The fact that the only boyfriend Lizzie can seem to get is 600 years old,” _Ouch_. He didn’t _look_ 600, okay? “Or the way that Hope and Josie take turns stealing that _loser_ off each other in some kind of embarrassing mating ritual. I know lesbians like to play the long game, but god is it painful to watch.”

Mating ritual? _Lesbians?!_ Lesbians together? Lizzie hasn’t heard something so horrific since her dad told them about the merge. She let out an uncomfortable laugh while trying to digest Alyssa’s words. Surely not. Hope and Josie weren’t saying anything to dismiss the bitch’s claim so she turned her head to gauge their reactions. 

Hope was doing a good job of pretending she didn’t care, except that Lizzie could see that her neck was all stiff and her jaw was clenched. And she was blushing. So really it was a terrible attempt at indifference. Josie just looked like a baby rabbit caught in headlights. To distract the attention from them she shoots a response back at Alyssa, calling her crazy.

Everything happened very quickly, and before Lizzie knew it, Alyssa had attempted to set her on fire and Josie was all up in her face, practically vibrating with rage. She couldn’t hear what was said between the two witches, but it felt good to have her sister back on her side again. She wouldn’t mind the new Josie if _this_ was what it was like all the time.

Hope, on the other hand, was all frowny, acting like Josie had threatened to slit Alyssa’s throat or something. She kept on being moody for the rest of the day, especially when Josie had gone to clean up Jed and the rest of them were in the library, laboriously searching the musty books for answers. 

Well, Lizzie wasn’t doing any labour. But she was telling Landon what to do because someone had to.

“I just don’t get what’s taking them so long.” Hope said for the third time, chewing on her lip and eyeing the door. “What if he’s lashed out at her? Maybe she’s hurt.”

Lizzie rolled her head back in annoyance, looking up at Hope who’s on the level above them. “God, Hope. Broken record much? Josie can look after herself.”

“Your complete lack of care for her continues to astound me, Lizzie.” Hope snapped contemptuously. 

Her tone made something hot and angry curl in Lizzie’s stomach. She dropped her legs from the table and turned in her chair to face Hope. “And your obsessive need to control everyone around you is giving me a migraine.” She bit back. 

“ _I’m_ controlling?” Hope laughed in disbelief. “If Josie were to tell me that you used to pick out her outfits everyday, I wouldn’t be surprised one bit.”  
  


“And if she told _me_ that you require her to check in with you four times an hour– just in case someone’s lookedat her the wrong way– I wouldn’t bat an eye.” 

“I’m sure there’s plenty of things you wouldn’t bat an eye at when it comes to your sister, Lizzie.” 

Lizzie stood up, knocking her chair over in the process. Landon flinched, eyes widened at the escalating argument. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Hope snapped shut the book she was holding, lips pressed in a thin line. “Just that it takes a fair amount for you to even notice when she’s struggling.” 

“What– that’s not fair,” Lizzie spluttered. “She never tells me anything!”

“You’re her sister, you shouldn’t have to be told, you should just know!” Hope shouted.

“I’m not a mind reader.” Lizzie defended.

Hope just shook her head, scoffing. “What a cop out. For all that she keeps her words inside, Josie practically wears her emotions on her sleeve. If you actually took the time to look at her, _beyond_ –” She continued harshly when Lizzie went to interrupt. “–your own opinions, you’d see exactly how she’s feeling.”  
  


It was so silent in the library following Hope’s little speech that Lizzie would have heard a mouse sneeze.

Kaleb had his eyebrows raised as he pretended to read the book in front of him and Landon looked hugely uncomfortable, his eyes flicking between the girls.

“I hate you.” Lizzie finally said, unwilling to accept that Hope might have made even the smallest of points. 

Hope’s mouth snapped shut. She was obviously expecting more of a rebuttal than that. “The feeling’s mutual.” She goes back to her book with an eye roll.

  
  


***

More than anything, the date was really Lizzie’s attempt to spend some time with Josie. The morning following their defeat of the Qareen, Josie had sauntered into their bedroom after yet _another_ night at Hope’s.

“Is this gonna be a regular occurrence now?” Lizzie asked as Josie pulled her uniform out of her wardrobe. 

“What?” She replied distractedly.

“You and Hope and your _sleepovers_.” Lizzie wrinkled her nose. 

Josie just shrugged. “You were with Sebastian, so I stayed with Hope. What’s the big deal?” She stepped behind her wardrobe door and began to strip.

“You’re not hooking up are you?” Even the words left a bad taste in her mouth, but she needed to know. “Because I thought you were still in love with Landon. Or at least into Jed.”

Josie stepped out from her wardrobe, eyes wide. She’s in only her underwear. “What?” She hissed. “Why would you even ask that?”

Lizzie examined her sister’s body in shock. “What the hell, Josie? When did you get so thin?” She could see her every rib and her hips jutted out sharply. 

Josie shrinked back self-consciously, hiding behind the wardrobe door. 

“ _Josie_.” 

“It’s under control.” Lizzie could hear her sister hurriedly pulling on clothes.

“It doesn’t look under control.” Lizzie felt a little panicked. “Maybe you should talk to Emma.”

Josie stepped out and headed for her dresser, picking up a comb. “I don’t need to talk to Emma because there’s nothing wrong with me. I’ve just been stressed recently and forgotten to eat a few times.”

“Josie–”

“Forget it, okay?” Josie snapped, before closing her eyes and taking a breath. “Sorry, Lizzie. But I promise, I’m okay.”

Unsure of what else to do, Lizzie organised the date in a desperate attempt to pin her increasingly elusive sister down for one evening. Maybe if she had a little fun, she would be more relaxed, and more willing to chat at the end of it.

So of course Josie turned up drunk. 

Lizzie guessed it was because she was a little nervous for the evening, what with Jed _and_ her ex being there. Understandable and maybe kind of Lizzie’s fault since she suggested a triple date. 

But still, she could never predict what her sister's going to do these days and it freaked her out.

The night was pretty good at first. Sebastian looked dashing in his tight, black sweater, his eyes dreamy as ever, and he was being a perfect gentleman, even chatting with the other boys. And maybe it was the alcohol’s doing, but it was still nice to see Josie being happy for a change.

Jed looked thrilled to be there with her, his eyes never straying far from her’s and a smile Lizzie hadn’t ever seen before on his face. He kept catching himself and subsequently schooling his expression, but it was never long before his grin crept back. It was actually a little bit cute and Lizzie found herself secretly rooting for them. Jed had been a dick to her on many occasions, but if anyone could bring out a guy’s sweet side, it was Josie.

Josie was oblivious to his adoring gaze– in fact, Lizzie realised, she seemed oblivious to the attention she was getting from Jed, Landon and Hope throughout dinner. Lizzie supposed there was a certain charm to tipsy Josie: she was a little louder than usual, kind of flirty and very touchy. And the three of them were soaking it up like sponges. 

“Good lord,” Lizzie whispered to Sebastian, who leant across the table to hear her. “Landon seems to have forgotten who his girlfriend is.”

Sebastian followed her eyeline to see Landon watching Josie’s lips as she chatted enthusiastically. Her boyfriend widened his eyes and blew air out of his mouth as if to say _that’s not a good sign._ Lizzie nodded in agreement, cringing as Hope – who had been pretty sullen throughout the meal– glanced between Landon and Josie stonily. 

About twenty minutes later it became very clear to Lizzie that a storm was brewing in Hope’s corner. The tribrid hadn’t said a word for fifteen minutes.

“It’s like when something is almost taken from you, that’s when you realise you want it the most.” Landon said dopily, smiling across at Josie as if they were alone, not crammed into a booth with four other people. And also like his actual girlfriend wasn’t sitting to his left currently staring daggers at him.

Josie looked a little bewildered by the intensity of his gaze, and as her brow furrowed Landon’s eyes drooped sadly. Jed frowned at them, his posture stiffening slightly. 

Oh god. Lizzie felt like she should do something because Hope looked seconds from exploding. Why did Landon have to go and make everyone feel so awkward?

She opened her mouth to change the subject when Hope got up abruptly. _Don’t punch him,_ she prayed desperately.

Hope didn’t do anything except say she was going to the bathroom, and of course, like magnets, Josie followed her. 

Lizzie and Sebastian both let out a sigh of relief once they’d gone. Lizzie turned to Landon, glaring.

“What’s that look for?” He said dumbly. 

Lizzie almost let him have it, but then remembered that Jed was sitting next to her. She controlled her words carefully. “Just...pay a little more attention to your girlfriend, idiot. Anyone can see she’s feeling left out.”

He frowned. “Really? But she’s never that chatty at social events.” 

“Trust me.” Lizzie gritted out, wishing she could smack him.

After that the boys get into some discussion about Marvel that she would totally have joined in on if Jed wasn’t there – she still had a reputation to uphold with him– and also if she wasn’t distracted by how long Josie and Hope had been in the bathroom.

What if Hope was attacking or blaming Josie for the fact that Landon clearly still has feelings for her? It must be very humiliating for her. Lizzie would have noticed it sooner if she actually paid attention to Landon, but like she’d acknowledged, she could be self-involved at the best of times and very few people made it onto her radar. Of course she’d seen how soft Landon was with Josie, but she figured that was normal when you cared about someone the way he obviously did about her.

Maybe the alcohol and the pizza had mixed badly in Josie’s stomach and now she was throwing up. She should check on her. Lizzie was about to stand up when the girls returned, Josie walking a little fast but otherwise looking unharmed.

Right. Hope would never attack Josie for anything, how dumb of her to think so.

Hope rigidly took her seat beside Landon as Lizzie made a jab at them for taking so long, doing her best to ease the tension that had resurfaced with Hope’s return.

Surprisingly, Jed seemed to catch on to her intentions. “Probably gossiping about us boys.” He joked good naturedly. “We’re not safe, bro.” 

Hope was most definitely not in the joking mood. “Oh yes, because our lives revolve around boys.” She said cuttingly. 

Landon, probably going on Lizzie’s advice from earlier, leant into her, grinning. “Well, mine revolves around you.” He pecked Hope on the lips but she was about as responsive as a corpse. Lizzie held her breath as she watched Hope freeze, her blue eyes turning cold. 

“Does it?” Lizzie was expecting it but the way the other girl snapped the words like a whip still made her jump. In fact, everyone at the table seemed to jump. 

Landon looked like someone had just told him Christmas was cancelled. “What?”

“Does it? Revolve around me? Or is that just more bullshit, Landon?” 

Oh god. So this was really happening, right now, in this diner. As the couple increased in volume, Lizzie glanced around the restaurant, cringing as she met the disapproving looks of locals trying to enjoy a meal out. 

“Guys, you’re making a scene.” She hissed. “Why don’t you take this outside?” She looked at her sister, noting that she’d frozen like a wax figure.

They make it outside, Landon walking stiffly away from the rest of the group. The air is freezing cold and Lizzie shivers, wishing the night was over but knowing it’s far from it. She takes a breath of relief anyway. Hopefully everyone can calm down a bit now–

–Josie starts yelling at Hope.

“Why did you _humiliate_ him like that?” 

Hope stutters and Lizzie has never seen her look so hurt. “ _He_ humiliated _me_!” She’s barely holding it together, the words shattering before they’ve even left her mouth.

All the tension and angst that Josie seems to constantly hold at the moment floods out of her, just like it did a week ago at Raf’s party. “He was just trying to enjoy the evening like all of us! Why couldn’t you let us have just _one_ evening away from it all? One. Fucking. Evening.” 

Hope seems to recoil from each word that Josie spits and Lizzie feels awful for her. Josie doesn’t get it, she didn’t see the way Landon was looking at her. She never sees how people look at her.

“How _exactly_ did he humiliate you?” Josie finally asks when Hope remains silent.

Lizzie gulps as they all seem to wait on the precipice of this moment.

“By so blatantly loving you.” Hope whispers.

Josie stares at her, her eyes huge and overwhelmed. She shakes her head– well, more like jerks it, from side to side. Her face is ghostly white except for the slap of red on her cheeks from the cold. “No.”

Hope just nods sadly, taking a step towards Josie, hands raised like she’s approaching a cornered animal. “He has this whole time, I think.”

“Stop.” Hope stops walking. “Why are you saying this?” 

Hope looks broken and confused. “I– because it’s true?”

Josie’s eyes are examining all the areas of Hope’s face, as if trying to find a crack in her expression. But all Hope is right now is cracks. Lizzie can finally see it. For so long it’s been _Landon loves Hope, and Hope loves Landon._ It was a big part of who Hope was– or at least, who she thought she was– and now it’s crumbling. 

Josie is shivering, looking ever so small as she tries to wrap her thin leather jacket tighter around herself. Her voice sounds strained, but unwavering. “For a month now, I have been trying to come to terms with the fact that _yet again_ , I wasn’t enough, that something about me is just…” She clenches her fists. “...lacking? I’ve sat through you two slipping back into your relationship like I never happened, like those months I had with him are just nulled.” Hope tries to speak but Josie’s not finished. “Do you know how fucking insignificant I felt when he left me standing in that room like he never really cared? When I saw you two hand in hand, walking into the school?” 

Hope takes several rapid steps forward, her eyes glossy. “You’re _not_ insignificant,” She says fiercely. “I hate myself for making you feel that way, and I’ve been trying since that day to make it up to you.”  
  


Josie just shakes her head, looking utterly lost. “Don’t you see the problem, Hope? Why is this the love I get? Why do people always leave me and call it love?”

Hope opens and closes her mouth. Josie stares at her for a few more seconds, searching for _something_ , and then she turns away. “I need to go and find him.”

“Josie…” Lizzie starts, but doesn’t quite know what to finish with. 

“No.” Hope says, her voice sounding dangerously unsteady again. “Don’t. Stay, I’ll take you home, we can talk about all of this. About everything that’s been happening.”

But Josie is shaking her head. “I need to talk to him first.” She avoids Hope’s desperate gaze, turning to Lizzie. “You guys go home. I’ve got money, I’ll be fine.” She looks at Jed. “Sorry.” Her voice is sad, regretful. He doesn’t say anything back, looking kind of shell shocked.

And then she’s walking away.

Hope stares after her until she’s turned a corner, and then she screams. 

Lizzie jumps in terror, turning wide eyes upon her friend. The scream is piercing, reverberating around the courtyard. It’s the most awful sound Lizze has ever heard and that includes when Hope stabbed that Ogre and she heard the squelch of it’s heart caving in.

A whirlwind of rotted brown leaves and debri starts to swirl around them, whipping against their faces. Lizzie notices a couple of people in the diner standing up and looking out at them, so she snaps quickly in action, grabbing Hope’s arm. “Hope, babe, you have to stop. People are looking.” She shakes her roughly but the girl is like a rag doll. 

So, she slaps her. Hard. 

Hope heads snaps back from the violence of the action and her scream cuts off. Now she’s just shaking. 

Lizzie looks at Sebastian. “Go into the diner, compel them to forget they saw this.” He nods solemnly and heads towards the entrance. 

“What should I do?” Jed asks. She’d forgotten he was here. 

Turning to face him, Lizzie shoots him a tired smile. He was a decent guy, under all the macho. “Go home, Jed. This stuff, it’s complicated. It’s best you stay out of it all.”  
  


“But Josie…”

“Will talk to you when she’s ready.” 

He sighs, running his large hands through his hair. “God, I– I just really like her.” 

Lizzie huffs out a short, sympathetic laugh. “It seems you may have to get in line.”

A bus is pulling up. Lizzie longs to get on it and leave this night behind. 

Jed starts to walk towards it, but then he swings around, gritting his jaw. “I’d do better than all of them, you know. Than Kirby, or Park or whoever the fuck else thinks they can treat her right. I don’t piss around.” Then he climbs the steps of the bus and the doors shut behind him. 

Lizzie sighs. “Okay Mikaelson, let’s talk this out.” She turns to find that Hope has disappeared. 

Fuck. 

“Hope?” She calls out, turning in a circle. “ _Hope?_ ” If Hope does anything to expose them all her dad will _kill_ them. She swallows the panic she’s feeling and tries to think rationally. 

If she were Hope, what would she do? She wouldn’t go home, because Hope would never leave Josie behind. She would, however, potentially _go after_ Josie and Landon. Lizzie prays that isn’t the case. It would only make everything worse.

If it were Lizzie, she would go somewhere secluded to try and get a lid on her emotions. 

She snaps her fingers.

The park. 

***

Lizzie finds her hunched over on a park bench. She’s rocking back and forth slightly and looking like a total nutjob. Lizzie has to double check it’s Hope before she sits down beside her. She’s never seen her so unravelled. 

“You’re lucky I know what it feels like to have a breakdown, or I’d never have found you.”

Hope doesn’t reply.

“No chance we could go to a diner– a _different_ diner– and talk about this over coffee? Where it’s warm and not totally dark?”  
  


Nothing.

Lizzie sighs. “Look, I know right now it seems like your relationship has completely fallen apart, but for what it’s worth, I do think Landon loves you. I just think he’s...confused. The changeover from Josie to you happened faster than a relay race, and he cares about you both. Don’t give up on him yet.”  
  


Hope doesn’t reply at first, still rocking. Then: “He’s going to take her from me.”

Lizzie frowns, not sure she heard that right. “What?"

“It’s taken me months to realise,” Hope has finally stopped rocking but now she’s shaking her left knee like she’s jacked up on caffeine. “that Landon has no intention of even _trying_ to love me, he’s only ever been capable of loving the idea of me.”

Lizzie doesn’t know what the hell to say to that. 

“I’m closed off, I know.” Hope squeezes her eyes tight shut. “I’m not blaming it all on him, I didn’t make it easy for him but...no one ever _sees_ me Lizzie,” She chokes out and Lizzie swallows. “But Jo, she _does._ I can’t lose her to him.”

“Who says you’re going to lose her?” Lizzie is trying to understand, but there’s too much subtext. 

Hope sighs, falling back against the bench. “We don’t work as a three, in whatever form that may be in. The past month has shown that. Not after the summer. I’ve known it for a while– someone’s always going to get hurt.”

Lizzie stares off into the darkness, barely able to make out the shapes of the trees around them. “Honestly Hope, I don’t know what’s going on in Josie’s head right now, so I wouldn’t assume anything. She probably doesn’t even know what the hell she’s feeling.”

Hope’s throat moves like she’s swallowing glass. “We always know…” She murmurs, eyes a little unfocused. “It’s always there. The hard part is letting ourselves know it.”

  
  



	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the comments:) I will reply to them all and I relish all of them, sorry I'm just slow. But know that they really push me to write. 
> 
> Enjoy

Josie starts to regret her decision to find Landon about five minutes after she starts walking. It’s coming up to 9pm now, the streets are fairly deserted and there’s a sharp wind chilling her to the bone. 

She may be a formidable witch but she’s still just a girl, one who spends most of her time inside the school walls. Being outside, and _alone_ , is scary.

She figures Landon can’t have gone too far; the boy wasn’t a fast walker, and plus, where would he go exactly?

“Need some company, honey?” A twenty-something man calls out to her from outside a pub. A couple of his friends guffaw and one whistles appreciatively. 

She studiously ignores them, speeding up her pace a little. 

“Did your momma never teach you manners?” Suddenly one of the men is in front of her, breathing the stench of ale across her face. She takes a startled step backwards. 

“Leave me alone.” 

“Hey now, I just wanna chat.” He puts his hands up in faux innocence. Now that he’s closer, Josie thinks he’s probably about twenty-five. “You’re all alone, and I’m a gentleman.” 

She swallows thickly, eyes darting around. 

“What’s your name?” He steps with her when she tries to side-step him. “You’re really gonna ignore me? Where’s your southern hospitality?” He grabs her arm and she attempts to pull away, but he holds steadfast. Internally, she curses the fact that she’s a siphoner, panic swirling in her stomach.

“Let go of me.” She grits out. He just laughs, pulling her into him. 

“You have a lovely pair of lips on you, honey. Bet you put those to good use, eh?” He wriggles his eyebrows salaciously.

“I’m not interested.” She tries again to pull away, her mind skipping over her options. What would Hope do? Probably roundhouse kick him. They need to pick up her training sessions again.

“I don’t think she’s into you, Nate!” One of the other guys calls out.

Wait a second. Hope. The talisman. She reaches to where it lies upon her clavicle, and as the man momentarily turns to his laughing friends, Josie’s hand begins to glow. The magic within the talisman is subtle, and as she coaxes it out gently its whispers seem to grow, not in volume but in insistence. 

“So what do you say, honey? Want to come and join me and my boys over here?” The man– _Nate_ – turns back, giving her bicep a squeeze.

“I say…” She smiles sweetly and he grins in surprise. “...I’d rather swallow nails.” His grin drops like a bag of sand. Josie covers her mouth in a pretend cough, whispering _dimiterre_ and imperceptibly making a flicking motion with her other hand. The man’s fuming glare transforms into a face of surprise as he finds himself suddenly falling hard and fast backwards, his head smacking against the concrete. 

“Fuck!” One of his friends calls out, as the rest of them stand up in shock.“Did that bitch push you?” Nate is groaning on the ground and maybe Josie should be worried that she’s caused him serious injury, but instead she just feels a deep satisfaction. In fact, there’s a disturbingly large part of her that hopes he’s cracked his skull.

Her inward celebration doesn’t last long, because now his four other friends are coming over, and they look far from happy. 

Fuck. 

She doesn’t think she can take them all at once.

“Josie?” Her stomach flutters in relief at the sound of his voice. “What’s going on?” She turns around as Landon jogs up to her, his dark eyebrows pulled together in worry. 

“This your girlfriend?” One of the guys asks accusingly. The others are crouched around Nate who’s now sitting up in a daze. He touches the crown of his head, his fingers coming back bloody. 

Josie watches as Landon takes in the scene in a matter of a seconds, before glancing her way. She looks anxiously back at him. He straightens his back. “Yeah. What about it?”

“She’s fucking crazy, that’s what. She pushed my mate down just ‘cause he wanted a friendly conversation.” The guys spits.

Landon barks out a quick laugh. “I’m sorry, my a hundred pound girlfriend pushed down that boulder?” He nods towards Nate. “You’re having a laugh.”  
  


The man starts to look a little unsure. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Right…” Landon chuckles. “Sure he didn’t trip over his own fat feet? Considering he’s drunk as a skunk.”

The man glances at Nate who’s slurring and flopping about as his friends try to help him up. “Well…”  
  


Landon nods. “Yeah. If you don’t mind, we have somewhere to be. You should probably get him to a hospital.” He holds out a hand to Josie who quickly takes it. He squeezes her hand reassuringly. And then, to Josie’s utter surprise, they manage to walk away without any objection. 

Both a little shaky, they keep walking until they reach a 24hr diner. Only once they’re inside does Josie let go of his hand. Silently, they make their way to a booth and slide into it opposite one another.

Landon takes off his brown jacket and Josie does the same. He runs his hands through his hair, letting out a relieved breath. “Jesus.” He mutters. “That was–”

“I’ve never seen you like that.” Josie interrupts. “So...I don’t know, smooth talking?”  
  


Landons laughs quietly, picking up a worn out menu. “While I was in foster care, I had to get good at talking myself out of sticky situations. I’m not exactly a big guy, so words are all I had.” He raises his shoulders. “Bullies are bullies, whether they’re fifteen or twenty-five.”  
  


She nods, chewing her lip. “You don’t talk about it much– foster care.”

Landon shrugs, looking awkward. “It was a crappy time, talking about it will just make me feel crappy.”

“I understand.” He looks relieved. A waitress has started to make her way over to them. Josie reaches for his hand, holding onto one of his fingers to get his attention. Landon glances at her in surprise. “But if you ever do want to talk about it, we can. Crappy things have a way of festering if you don’t let them out sometimes.” 

He gives her a quick jerky nod, but looks a little grateful all the same.

They order hot chocolates and Josie lets herself relax slightly into the warmth of the place. 

“So how did you find me?” She asks, blowing on her drink.

“I heard you.” Josie furrows her forehead, confused. “Seriously. I was right down the street but it was like your voice just... floated to me.” Landon continues. “No idea how.”

“I do.” Josie lifts up her talisman, smiling fondly. “It makes quiet things heard.”

He eyes it, his expression unreadable. “Right, a present from Hope isn’t it?”

She nods, tucking it back under her blouse.

“You know she’s never got me anything?” Josie takes a sip of her hot chocolate, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Seriously, for my birthday she gave me a blowjob.” She chokes on the drink, coughing into her sleeve.

Landon hands her a napkin, grinning.

“Doesn’t sound too bad to me.” Josie croaks out once she’s recovered slightly.

He chuckles. “Far from it.” Then his face turns serious. “But like, don’t you think that’s weird?” Josie shrugs her shoulders uncomfortably. “I’ve written her songs, even a couple of poems. I missed her birthday because she was, well, in _Malivore_ and I’d forgotten she existed, but in the first week we got back together I made up for it by making a picnic and giving her a birthstone bracelet.”

“I’ve seen her wear that a few times.” Josie points out. “It’s pretty.” 

He rolls his eyes. “Like three or four times, maybe. Last weekend I went into town and got her these paints. She hardly even looked at them.” 

“She was mad, wasn’t she? I bet she’ll still use them.”  
  


“That’s not the point, Josie.” He says, exasperated. “The point is she doesn’t care much for the things I get her, and she never thinks to get me anything.” 

“So Hope isn’t big on presents, does that matter?” Josie asks. “I know she loved that song you wrote her because she gushed about it to me the next day. And Hope rarely gushes.”

Landon smiles a little at that, before sighing. “Yeah, but that was ages ago now. Things were different back then– we’d only been dating a few weeks. Yeah, she had her barriers up, but I felt like I could get through to her most of the time. At least, I thought I did...” Landon trails off, looking up at Josie.

She feels like he’s waiting for something. “I don’t know what to say, Landon. Hope’s been through so, so much. Awful things that only happened a couple of years ago, and really, it’s not like life’s been too great the past year either. You have to be patient.”  
  


He spins the cup in his hands. “But isn’t– well, when you love someone, aren’t you supposed to be vulnerable with them? It shouldn’t feel like a battle, should it?”  
  


Josie shrugs. “I love Lizzie with all my heart but being around her often feels like a battle.”  
  


“That’s different, she’s your sister. I’m talking romantic love. Last year, I used to think that constantly fighting for Hope to stay with me, include me, trust me, open up to me, was what made our love so powerful. That to keep a love like that, you had to fight for it every single day, and take the best days with caution. I was always a little scared that Hope would cut me off for good, and when she didn’t it gave me this huge rush.” 

“What changed?” Josie asks quietly.

Landon swallows, staring at her. “I realised that loving someone didn’t have to be so difficult.” 

And there it is. Her heart thuds against the delicate frame of her ribcage. “Landon…”

His eyes are a storm of emotions. 

“Can I get you lovelies anything else?” It’s the waitress smiling cheerfully down at them.

“Uh, no.” Josie clears her throat. “No thank you.” A glance at Landon. “We should get going.” She hands a five dollar note to the waitress and slips out of the booth, pulling her leather jacket on as she leaves. Landon follows slowly.

It’s silent between them for a few minutes as they walk in no particular direction, leaves crunching beneath their feet.

Then Landon pulls her to a stop. Hesitantly, she looks at him for the first time since they left the diner and startles. The storm that was in his eyes has overflowed and transformed his face. He seems a little wild. 

“Aren’t you going to say something?” He asks desperately. 

“I– I don’t know–”

“I _love_ you, Josie!” He grabs her hands with his own. They’re solid and hot but still can’t seem to ground her. “With you, it’s like something inside me just settles, _finally_ , for like the first time in my life. I’m sorry that I broke up with you, I’ve been sorry about it since the day you healed that stupid bump on my head with your crazy plant potion. I think I realised that around you, I just breathe a little better.” 

Josie feels like her brain has switched into slow motion. She stares at the flashing green of Landon’s eyes, tries to focus on the tight grip of his hands or the warmth of his breath on her face. She doesn’t know what to say. She’s wanted this for so long, but not like this, not when Hope is somewhere nearby, probably devastated.

She shakes her head, stepping back. But Landon holds her tighter, as though she’ll float away from him if he lets go. 

“I can’t, Landon. Hope…”  


He drops her hands like they’re burning him. “ _Why_ are you so loyal to her, Josie?! She treats you like a damn possession!”

Josie scoffs, shoving her hands into her pockets. “What? No she doesn’t.”

He shakes his head. “Oh yeah? Do you want to know the reason that I ignored you this week?” She doesn’t reply but he continues anyway. “Last Saturday, after I came to your room, I went to Hope’s to apologise. She made me promise that I would stay away from you, because only _she_ could be your friend. As if you were a toy that she called dibs on.”

“I don’t believe you.” Josie shakes her head. “She wouldn’t do that–”

“Actually, she would! Because as kind and brave as Hope can be, she’s also bat shit crazy when it comes to certain things.” He begins to list them off his fingers. “Intimacy, trust, giving up _any_ form of control, and apparently, _you_.”

Josie’s mind is swirling, this is all too much. This whole night has been too much. 

“Don’t call her crazy. She isn't.”

He throws his hands up. “She threatened to tear Jed limb for limb at Raf’s party.”

Josie thinks back to Monday, when she threatened to choke Alyssa to death in the meditation circle. “That doesn’t make her crazy...just intense sometimes. She’d never actually do it.” 

“The thing is Josie, I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“None of us are perfect, Landon. We’re supernatural, our emotions are a lot to handle. Hope is the daughter of _Klaus Mikaelson_ , she’s got some heavy genetics to deal with.”

“You are.” He steps towards her earnestly. “You’re perfect. In my eyes. There’s nothing I would change about you.”

She raises her eyebrows because _that_ is laughable. There’s a hundred things she would change about herself. “Idealising me won’t go any better than it did with Hope, Landon.” Josie sighs. “Nobody is perfect.” She reiterates. “Least of all me.”

They stand quietly, unsure how to proceed from such a heated conversation. Josie feels exhaustion seeping down to her bones. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt this...lover’s quarrel?” They turn in shock to find Sebastian standing languidly beside them, hands tucked behind his back. “Lizzie sent me to tell you that she’s gone home with Hope. And that I should make sure you get home okay, too.” He looks at Josie.

Landon puffs out his chest. “You think I couldn’t get her home safe?”

“Honestly mate, I haven’t a clue what you can do. Seems like very little.”  
  


Landon starts towards him angrily but Josie grabs his arm. “ _Enough_. Let’s just go home. I’m tired.”

Sebastian nods. “I’ll call a cab.”

***

The cab journey back is silent aside from Sebastian, who sits up front making polite conversation with the driver. Josie can feel Landon’s eyes upon her face but she ignores him, staring out the window.

They get to the school and Josie heads straight towards the dormitories. 

“Josie…” Landon’s voice stops her. He looks as exhausted as she feels. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you tonight. But I meant what I said.” 

She chews her lip, staring down at her shoes. “You’re just...you’re doing it all wrong, Landon. Everything’s messed up.”

He drops his shoulders heavily. “But I don't know how to fix it.”

“Maybe don’t try and start a new relationship before your current one is even finished.”

Josie isn’t even sure which instance she’s referring to. Probably both. 

He opens his mouth to speak before shutting it guilty. Josie leaves him there, thinking that whoever said love isn’t selfish was very wrong. 

It feels inevitable when she finds herself heading to Hope’s room.

“Josie.” Hope stutters out, seeming shocked to see her. She’s still in her date clothes, the makeup around her eyes a little smudged. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?” Her voice is frantic.

“I’m fine.” Josie says, even though she feels like she’s unravelling. “Are you?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” When Josie eyes her pointedly she smiles weakly. “Seriously. I was just a bit stressed waiting for you to come back, not knowing what was going on. I told Lizzie to let me know as soon as you got home…”  
  


Josie steps into the room and squeezes Hope’s arm. “Well I’m back now.” Hope lifts a hand to touch Josie’s briefly before letting it drop. 

There’s a tension in the air of words unspoken as Josie carefully sits on Hope’s bed, removing her boots. 

Hope softly closes the door, then presses her head against it. Without turning around, she speaks. “What happened?”

Josie opens her mouth, her mind whirring with all the words spoken tonight, all the strange and confusing moments, all the things that Landon revealed. But in the end she’s aware there’s only one thing that Hope wants to know. 

“You were right.” 

Hope slumps against the door, curling her fist into a tight ball and hitting the wood once, hard.

Josie anxiously tightens her own hands around Hope’s bedsheets, unsure whether to go to her. “He wants to be with me I think. But nothing happened, Hope. Of course. I didn’t kiss him or anything.” She pleads with her friend who still won’t turn around.

“Why not?”

“What?”  
  


Hope turns around finally. “Why didn’t you? It’s not like I hesitated a month ago. You don’t owe me anything.” Her jaw is clenched and her eyes are glassy.

Josie exhales. “Hope...come here.” 

Looking painfully lost, Hope walks over and sits down next to her. Josie takes her hand.

“When you did that, you were chasing your happiness. If I had done the same today, when I knew how sad you probably were, it would have been nothing more than an act of bitter revenge.” Hope swallows. “And I have no urge to punish you, Hope.” Josie says quietly.

Hope stares down at their interlocked hands, breathing in and out shakily. Josie recognises it as the kind of breathing you do when you don’t want to cry. She waits, not wanting to push Hope to speak.

“I just–” Hope gulps. “I just don’t know why I wasn’t enough for him.” Her voice cracks on the last word and then she’s crying, folding into Josie who wraps her arms tightly around her. 

She cries for a long time. Heavy, choking sobs. Josie rocks her slightly, making sounds of comfort and stroking her tangled hair. “Don’t you ever think like that. He doesn’t decide what you’re worth.” She whispers fiercely, and Hope looks up at her desperately, like she wants to believe her but just can’t. 

“I think I’m broken. Too much happened to me and now I’m twisted, I don’t–” Hope sobs. “I don’t work properly. If I could have just _been_ the person he thought I was–”

“Listen to me.” Josie grabs Hope’s face between her hands, pressing her forehead against hers. The other girl’s eyes are impossibly close now, flooded with tears. “You are not broken. That’s not how being a human works. There’s not some perfect, untainted version of ourselves that we must attain to be. You are just a collection of moments and experiences and thoughts and–” She searches for the words, pressing harder into Hope. “–and _love_ and pain that makes you who you are.” Hope has stopped crying now, but the tears on her cheeks trickle down and land on Josie's lips, tasting of salt and sorrow. 

The girls stare at each other, sharing a breath like it’s the last one left in the world. 

And then Hope kisses her.

  
  



	18. Chapter 18

The force of the kiss knocks Josie onto her back, bringing Hope down too as her hands still hold the other girl's face. They land in a tangle of limbs but Hope doesn't disconnect her mouth from hers, if anything she kisses more fervently, as though trying to pour herself into Josie.

Josie is so taken aback that her thoughts are stipped down purely to her senses: the softness and wetness of Hope’s mouth, the way it mixes with her tears and the faint sweetness of the cokes they drank at dinner– it’s been a long time since she’s kissed a girl and she’s forgotten how different it is. 

Then Hope dips her tongue into Josie’s mouth and she snaps into clarity. _Hope_ is kissing her. Her _friend_ , Hope. 

With a yelp she turns her head so Hope’s mouth slides to her cheek. The tribrid’s eyes are screwed tight shut and it doesn’t seem like she’s too in touch with reality right now. 

“Hope! What the hell?” Josie questions in a high-pitched squeal. Her voice causes Hope to freeze and slowly open her eyes. They’re a little foggy, like the sea on a cloudy day. The two stare at each other, chests heaving. Hope is still on top of Josie, their faces centimetres apart.

“Hi.” Hope eventually whispers.

“Hi?” Josie says back. _What the hell?_

“What the hell, Hope?” She repeats out loud as Hope stiffly slides off her, looking mortified. “What–I mean...what was that?” Now that she’s free, Josie sits up and scoots to the other side of the bed. Her heart is beating like a baby bird’s. 

Hope still hasn’t said anything and seems to be in a daze, touching her lips. 

Josie just can’t wrap her mind around what just happened. Mostly the _why_ of it. “Are you using me as some sort of replacement for Landon?” She asks angrily.

Hope’s head snaps round at that. “What? _No_.” 

“Because I won’t be that for you, Hope. I refuse to be–”

“No, no. I wasn’t– you’re not.” Hope moves towards Josie on her knees. “I promise, I wasn’t thinking about him, I mean, before yes, but not then.” Her tone is sturdy with certainty, even if her actions aren’t. But Hope’s protesting only makes Josie more confused. If not that, then what?

“I’m sorry that you’re sad, Hope, but if you need comfort, that’s not the way to get it, or at _least_ tell me first that that’s what you need–”

“Um–” Hope’s eyes are wide.

“–because I want to be here for you, I do. I know that Landon’s betrayal is splintering your already fragile ability to trust–”

“Josie–” Hope attempts to interrupt, looking a bit frantic.

“–and I _want_ you to trust me, Hope. But you can’t just, you can’t–” She stutters, feeling overwhelmed. “–just _kiss_ me and think that–”

“ _Josie_.” Hope practically falls forward to grab Josie’s hands. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Just breathe, okay?”

So Josie does. She takes what feels like her first breath since entering Hope’s room. She breathes and examines Hope’s face, apprehensive and tear streaked, with Josie’s red lipstick smudged across her lips. 

She knows what it’s like to feel so sad that you’d do anything to push the emotions away, and she knows that right now Hope is hurting the worst that she has since her parents died. She wasn’t there for her then, but she could be there for her now. 

So Josie leans forward on her knees and kisses her.

Hope startles against her mouth, but Josie interlinks their fingers, pressing forward, and after a couple of seconds Hope sinks into the kiss. This time it’s languid and soft, their lips moving with a gentle, hesitant rhythm. 

But beneath the surface of her skin, Josie’s blood is roaring.

Hope’s lips are plump and her mouth is hot and beneath the control that she tries so tirelessly to maintain there’s something wild that Josie is aching to break through to. Something that’s always drawn her in.

“Josie–” Hope whispers.

“Whatever you need.” Josie mumbles, going in to kiss her again, but Hope stops her with a gentle hand against her chest.

“No.” Hope says, looking conflicted and a little guilty. She sits back slowly, like it takes her a lot of effort, and Josie immediately feels the space between them. “You were right before. I’m upset and confused, and I _hate_ feeling this weak. And you–” She cuts herself off, chewing her lip, before continuing a little shyly. “Well you always have a way of making me feel like myself again.”

Josie swallows, feeling both touched and oddly rejected. “Okay.” She says, her voice small. 

Hope’s eyes flit across her face before she nods quickly. “Okay.” She runs her hands through her hair and straightens her spine. “I need to wash my face, I’m a mess.” She says with a short laugh, looking at Josie. “You should probably get some sleep, it’s been a long night.” Her tone is soft but insistent.

It feels strangely like a dismissal. “Oh, okay.” Josie mumbles. “Should I–I mean, do you need company tonight?” Everything is suddenly so different, uncertain.

Hope opens her mouth to speak but then snaps it shut. It’s a few seconds before she tries again. “I think maybe a little space from each other tonight would be best.” She says ever so gently. The words still cut into Josie all the same.

“Right.” She nods her head jerkily, sliding off the bed and fumbling for her shoes. “Right. Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow or maybe not, I don’t know.” 

Hope nods, watching her as she heads for the door. 

“Night, Josie.” She whispers.

Josie doesn’t say it back, afraid that if she opens her mouth she’ll cry.

  
  


***

She crawls into Lizzie’s bed that night and lets her twin hold her. For once, Lizzie doesn’t ask questions.

***

“Good morning everyone.” Her dad’s voice carries across the hall. It’s morning assembly and Josie is really not ready for another school week to start. Her permanent state of being at the moment seems to be sleep deprived. She felt drained and unmotivated all weekend, keeping mostly to her room. The thought of seeing Hope after Friday night made her want to curl up into a ball, so staying in her bedroom had seemed the safest bet. 

“As you all know, I implemented a new tradition this year of playing Mystic High at flag football on the last Friday of every month. But, as it’s Thanksgiving this Thursday, I’m postponing Friday’s game until Monday since some of you will be home for the long weekend. There will be a Thanksgiving dinner served at school for those of you staying here.” Josie sighs. Right, Thanksgiving. She isn’t feeling particularly thankful at the moment. 

“You know,” Her dad continues, grinning at his students. “The first ever Thanksgiving happened right here in Virginia, in 1619.” Everyone stares back at him. “But on a more serious note,” He frowns. “I’ve received complaints about some of the wolves fighting during the full moon. I repeat what I’ve said before: if you cannot act responsibly while you are running free, I will be forced to restrict transitions to the cells.”

An agitated murmur breaks out across the room. Josie feels Jed tense next to her. It’s a shared opinion among the wolves that Dr Saltzman favours them the least out of the three species. He’s often suspicious of their behaviour, and offers them much less leniency than he does the vampires and witches. 

“Like fuck I’m doing that.” Jed spits under his breath. 

Josie grits her teeth. “Don’t worry, I won’t let him.” Jed shoots her a grateful look.

On Saturday night, Jed had come round to the twin’s room, much to Lizzie’s evident disapproval. But he’d put on a charming smile, saying he was only there to check how Josie was doing, and her sister had softened at the edges a bit. 

Josie slipped outside with him, figuring that she owed the guy some kind of explanation. 

“Right now...things are just _a lot_. I don’t want to promise you anything when I can’t give you my full attention.”

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. In that moment, though he stood six foot tall, he seemed akin to a young boy. “I get it. Sort out your old crap first.”  
  


She nodded, giving him a sad smile. But when he turned to go, Josie had a sudden thought and told him to wait, dashing into her room. She came back out and bashfully handed him the jasmine pouch he’d asked for. “Sorry it took so long.” Jed took it with careful hands. “It’s small enough to fit in your pocket, and the velvet is thin but not see through so if it ever drops on the floor none of the other guys will give you a hard time for carrying flowers around.” She grinned. 

Jed chuckled. “I’d beat their ass if they did anyway.” Then his face softened. “Thanks, Josie. Really.”

“It’s nothing. But between you and me,” She said, reaching for her door handle. “I don’t think you need it.”

She left him standing there, the tiny lavender pouch clutched in his large hands, and a flush to his cheeks.

“Okay everyone, have a good day.” Her dad’s voice cuts through her cloud of thoughts as the sounds of scraping chairs and chatter starts to fill the hall. She yawns and Lizzie pokes her arm.

“Come on, Jo.”

“Girls!” Their dad makes his way over to them. “Could you hang back a second?” Lizzie drops back into the chair she just stood up from. Josie hadn’t mustered the energy to move yet.

“I feel like we’ve hardly spoken recently.” He says, scratching his beard. “Especially you, Josie. You can always drop by your old dad’s office you know?” 

“I know, dad.” She plays with her fingers, avoiding his insistent gaze.  
  


“Anyway, Thanksgiving.” He claps his hands together cheerfully. “Your mom is flying in to spend it with us–”

“Really?!” Lizzie squeals, jumping up at the same time as Josie does.

Alaric’s grins happily at his daughters’ response. “Yes. She gets in Thursday early morning. It’s the only flight she could get. I spoke to her on the phone this morning and she’s really looking forward to seeing her girls.”

Josie feels Lizzie grab her hand and squeeze it in excitement. She squeezes back. 

“I also thought we should let a couple of your friends join us. Like Hope–”

“Hope?” Lizzie interrupts. “She’s never joined us before.”

“She hasn’t wanted to. But New Orleans is a long way to go for four days, and you girls are good friends with her now, so…” He waits for any further objections but gets none. “I also invited MG, since he and his family are still at odds, and Landon. Raf is going to spend it with his dad.” Lizzie and Josie are sharing a dismayed look. Their dad couldn’t have possibly put them all together at a worse time. 

“Something wrong?” He’s frowning at them.

“Just…” Lizzie starts tentatively. “Landon and Hope are having some...relationship issues right now.” Josie had told Lizzie everything that happened with Landon, but she’d left out the... _stuff_ that happened between her and Hope.  
  


Alaric just chuckles. “I’m sure they can put aside their teen drama for one day.” 

Josie thinks that’s highly unlikely. 

***

She doesn’t see Hope until lunch. Usually they walk to their Enchantments class together but Josie didn’t wait at their usual spot for the other girl. If Hope wants space, she’ll give her space.

But lunch is lunch, and they all sit together, so avoiding her is impossible. 

MG and Kaleb join them at their table eagerly, practically slapping down their lunch trays. “So!” MG starts, rubbing his hands together. “Give us the full play by play of what exactly happened on Friday, because damn!”

“Yeah,” Kaleb agrees. “Sounds like we missed some serious drama.”

Josie turns to look accusingly at Lizzie. “You told him already? _How?_ You were with me in our room practically all weekend!”

“I have my ways.” Lizzie says dismissively. “And I thought everyone should know what a _worm_ Landon is.”

“Total worm.” MG nods excessively. 

Josie sees Hope heading towards their table. “Hope’s coming. So _don’t_ mention Friday, okay?” She hisses under her breath, giving MG a look. 

He puts his hands up. “Okay!”

“Yeah right.” Lizzie scoffs. “As if I’m not bringing it up – Hope! Hey girl!”

Hope raises her eyebrows as she takes a seat opposite Josie, glancing at her briefly before looking away. “Hi Lizzie…did someone slip you a happy pill?”

“Just my usual ones. How are you doing?” Lizzie says, placing a hand over Hope’s.

Hope stares down at it. “Feeling pretty creeped out right now, not gonna lie.”

Lizzie tuts, pulling back her hand. “Fine. I tried! So, did you dump him?”

“Lizzie!” Josie reprimands, risking a look at Hope whose mouth is pressed in a thin line. 

“Oh come on, everyone’s thinking it.” Josie can’t disagree with her. She sort of wants to know too.

“It’s fine, Jo.” Hope says. “No. We haven’t spoken. I think he’s avoiding me.” She looks pointedly at Josie when she says that, who looks at her food instead.

“What a coward.” Kaleb shakes his head. “I mean, surely he knows you have to speak at some point?”

Hope just shrugs. 

“He _has_ too.” Lizzie says, outraged. “He owes you that. God, what a snivelling, scheming little shithead–”

“Lizzie.” Hope interrupts, a smile playing at her mouth. “It’s okay. Landon hates confrontation, and he knows he screwed up. If he needs a couple of days to think things through, then it’s probably for the best.”  
  


“He’s had the weekend already! I don’t get why you aren't more angry? You’re not usually one to let things slide.”

Hope lets her shoulders rise and fall heavily. “I just don’t have the energy for it.”

There’s a pause as everyone looks sympathetic and slightly uncomfortable at Hope’s show of resignation. Josie’s heart aches for her, aches to reach out and squeeze her hand, but she holds back. _She wants space._

“So, Hope.” MG does what he does best– breaks the tension. “I hear you and I are the chosen ones to join the Saltzman-Forbes for Thanksgiving.” No one mentions that Landon will also be joining. If he has any decency, Josie thinks, he’ll decline her dad’s offer. But knowing Landon and his relentless need to belong, he won’t.

“Yeah…” Hope looks at Lizzie hesitantly, probably expecting some sort of rebuking comment about how she’s impinging on a Saltzman holiday. 

But Lizzie just rolls her eyes good naturedly. “Yeah, yeah. Just know that my mom takes these things _very_ seriously, so you’ll have to look smart.” She looks at Hope. “That means a dress, Hope.”

“Whatever.” Hope mutters, but she’s smiling.

***

Josie continues to dodge Hope for the next two days. She throws herself into her school work since she’s been a bit distracted recently, falling behind in several of her advanced classes. 

Hope is always very busy during the week, regardless of whether there’s a monster to defeat, as she takes even more classes than Josie– the woes of being a Tribrid. But the two friends had usually made time for each other during frees or in the evenings. By spending those moments in her room, it becomes startlingly easy to completely bypass each other. 

She feels Hope’s absence much more potently that she thought she would. Josie hadn’t realised how _attached_ and reliant on one another they’d become. It’s strange not to feel the nudge of Hope’s foot against her leg under the lunch table when Lizzie says something particularly obnoxious, or stretch out next to each other in her bedroom at the end of the day and just _talk_. She misses sitting in the library in their frees and quizzing each other on magical knowledge, both trying to oneup the other. 

Lizzie notices too.

“What’s up with you and Hope?”

“Hmm?” Josie looks up from where she’s reading on her bed.

“Oh come on. You guys wouldn’t leave each other alone and now you hardly talk to her at lunch. Did something happen?”  
  


“Nope.” She makes the word pop. 

“Right…” Lizzie is obviously suspicious, but lets it go– something she’s been doing a lot recently that Josie greatly appreciates.

It’s not that Josie doesn’t _want_ to be there for Hope. But everytime she goes to talk to her, the embarrassment of Friday night pops into her head like a bad dream. She’d offered her support, and Hope had rejected it. Maybe Josie’s a bad kisser. Or maybe Hope just doesn’t need her anymore. 

During Tuesday’s lunch, Hope sends Josie a lot of hesitant, slightly doleful looks. By Wednesday these looks have turned to that of frustration, but still Josie scampers off to class as soon as the bell sounds. 

Landon seems to be doing an excellent impression of a ghost, only ever sighted scurrying through the busy hallway between classes, avoiding all eye contact.

Josie does see Raf though, who seems to be Landon’s only friend at the moment. Aside from maybe Wade. 

“I don’t understand why he won’t talk to her.” She says to him as they queue for lunch.

Raf scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “Honestly, Jo, I actually think he’s kinda scared.”

“What, that Hope will kill him?” Josie jokes, spooning salad onto her plate. 

“No, but maim, yes.” Raf is deadly serious.

“Oh.” Josie always forgets how fearful other people are of Hope. “But he’s still coming to my parent’s thanksgiving?” Raf nods. “That makes no sense. Why doesn’t he just go to yours?”

“Something about being rude to decline an invitation, I dunno.”  
  


“He’s an idiot.”

“I have to agree.”

***

Josie wakes up early on Thursday morning to a churning in her stomach.

It would be easy to disregard her nerves as anticipation for the impending drama likely to occur amongst her friends, but deep down Josie knows she’s also nervous about seeing her mom. 

It’s been almost six months since she saw her: back at the beginning of June she’d come to stay in Mystic Falls for a couple of days before jetting off to Europe with Lizzie for the summer. Since then, it’s been only phone calls and the occasional facetime. 

If Josie’s been feeling disconnected from her dad recently, it’s nothing compared to how disconnected she’s been feeling from her mom.

She rolls out of bed to wake Lizzie up, knowing that their dad is probably already on his way to the airport right now to pick up their mom. The twins had agreed to be dressed and ready to help their mom cook dinner by the time they got back to her dad’s apartment in town.

Josie dresses in a white blouse with long sleeves that puff at the shoulders and end in detailed, lace cuffs, with a brown pinafore dress and tights. Lizzie wears a dark purple, floral dress with a collar and small buttons down the front. They’d both taken time to pick out their outfits, wanting their mom to like them.

As they catch a bus into town, Josie can feel the nerves vibrating off of Lizzie too. She keeps checking her hair in a pocket mirror and touching up her lipstick. Whether she’s absorbed Josie’s obvious nerves, or has her own, she can’t tell, but she takes Lizzie’s hand all the same. 

It’s a shock to Josie’s system when her mom actually walks through the door, elegant and vibrant and loud as ever. Both the twins are used to these sorts of visits being cancelled at the last minute, like their birthday earlier in the year, and have learnt it’s best not to let their hopes get too high. 

Her mom gathers her and Lizzie into her arms. “I missed you girls so damn much! God you’re looking so mature these days!” She steps back to examine them both, especially Josie, her eyes not missing an inch of their bodies. 

Not for the first time, Josie thinks her mom is a classic beauty, the sort you’d find in an old hollywood film set in the south. She’s dressed in a white babydoll dress, her hair falling in gentle waves and her makeup done to perfection despite the fact she just stepped off a plane.

“You dressed before your flight?” Josie asks, a little confused. 

Caroline laughs. “No. In the airport bathroom. It doesn’t take me long with vamp speed,” She winks. “And I wanted to make an entrance. Didn’t want you seeing your mom for the first time in ages in a pair of raggedy sweats!”

“I completely understand.” Lizzie nods. “There’s no excuse for looking like a hobo.”

As her mom sends a quick glance her way, Josie thinks that maybe it’s not just her and Lizzie that are feeling nervous.

***

Their dad puts the game on while the twins and Caroline get to prepping the dinner. 

“The only reason I’m allowing the perpetuation of such stereotypical gender roles is to save you from your father’s cooking.” Caroline says as she seasons the turkey.

The three of them fall into an efficient rhythm of chopping and peeling as Lizzie and her mom natter away, quickly slipping back into the easy rapport they probably had in the summer. Josie is quiet, only speaking when her mom directly asks her questions. She asks about classes, teachers, monsters and boys. Both Lizzie and Josie clam up when it comes to the last topic– Lizzie because she knows that her dad doesn’t approve of Sebastian, and Josie because that part of life is pretty abysmal right now. Caroline just laughs at their silence. 

About two hours later, when the turkey is in the oven and most of the other food is sufficiently prepped, the doorbell rings. 

Caroline wipes her hands and strides off to answer the door, obviously excited to meet their friends. 

It’s only MG and Hope standing there slightly awkwardly, which has Josie wondering (and hoping) that maybe Landon won’t turn up after all.

Like Lizzie, MG has gone for floral, proudly wearing one of his many jazzy shirts. Hope is in a simple but elegant navy dress with flowy sleeves.

“Hope sweetie, it’s been so long! Aren’t you gorgeous?” Hope utters a slightly shy _hi_ , accepting the kisses Caroline gives to both her cheeks. Then her mom turns to a jittery looking MG. “I don’t think we’ve met?” 

“Hi Ms Forbes. I’m MG.” He quickly sticks his hand out for a handshake, but her mom bats it away and kisses his cheeks too.

“Call me Caroline.” Then she turns to where Lizzie and Josie are hanging back. “Girls, don’t be rude. Greet your guests.” 

“Hi.” The twins say in unison. 

“ _Properly_.”

A little embarrassed, the girls step forward to kiss the friends they see everyday on the cheeks. Josie goes for MG first. “Wow, strong aftershave there buddy.” She teases and he looks a little worried.

“Is it too much?” 

“Nah, you’re fine.” She smiles, patting his arm. 

Then, feeling a little quivery, she swaps with Lizzie. Being close to Hope after two days apart is unnerving. Her cheeks are soft as pillows beneath Josie’s lips and her perfume is a subtle scent of roses. Memories of Friday night hit her like a wall. 

When Josie tries to pull back Hope grabs her wrist, keeping their faces close. 

“You look beautiful.” Hope says. There’s a challenge in her eyes.

Josie swallows. “So do you.” 

“You’ve been in Europe too long, Caroline.” Her dad's voice jokes from behind them. Josie steps back quickly. “We don’t do that mushy kissing stuff here in America.”

“You can never be in Europe too long, Alaric.” Her mom quips back. 

“Ms Forb– Caroline, I mean. Is there anything I can help with in the kitchen?” MG asks, always looking to make a good impression. 

Her mom looks pleased. “We’ve done most of it, but you can definitely help me with the cranberry sauce.” 

They head into the kitchen, Lizzie tailing and jabbing MG in the side for being a kiss-ass. 

Josie attempts to follow, but Hope takes her hand, and without giving her any say in the matter, drags her away. Josie makes a few noises of protest, but doesn’t want to draw attention to their weird behaviour. It will only result in questions from her mom that she’d rather not answer. 

Hope opens a random door, and in seeing it’s the bathroom, pulls Josie inside. She leans past her to push it firmly shut and then steps back with her arms crossed. Josie can’t help but feel she’s in trouble.

“We need to talk.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for the angstiest thanksgiving ever


	19. Chapter 19

Hope leans against the bathroom sink surveying the girl in front of her. After a few seconds, Josie begins to shift about under the force of her gaze. Neither of them seem to know what to do now that they’re facing each other. 

“You’ve been ignoring me.” Hope says, deciding to get straight to the point.

Josie doesn’t insult her intelligence by denying it. She just shrugs. 

“Why?”

No reply.

“Look, I wanted to give you space Josie, that’s why I didn’t push this conversation earlier. But I’m not going to sit through a stupid thanksgiving dinner with you not meeting my eyes when you pass me the roast potatoes.”

“It’s sweet potatoes.” Josie mumbles.

“Whatever kind of potatoes!” She steps forward and Josie stiffens which hurts her a little. “Talk to me.” She implores desperately. The last couple of days with both Landon and Josie avoiding her have been awful. She can’t stand anymore silence. Give her shouting and screaming, just no more silence. 

Josie has her arms wrapped around herself and looks so damn fragile that Hope wants to gather her up in a hug. But she knows that she can’t. Overstepping her boundaries with Josie has become a recurring issue lately. 

“I felt stupid.” Josie finally whispers. She fiddles with her shirt cuffs, dark eyelashes curling at the top of her cheeks as she looks down. 

Hope uncrosses her arms, shocked at the admission. She expected her to say awkward, weird, confused. Not _stupid_. “What do you have to feel stupid about?” She and Landon were the ones who had ensnared Josie in their web of issues, pouring all of the things they wouldn’t say to each other onto her. 

“I kissed you!” Josie utters the words like they’re her biggest crime.

Hope’s eyebrows pull together in confusion. “Unless it was some sort of fever dream, I’m pretty sure I kissed you first.” Saying it out loud is… strange to say the least.

Josie takes a step forward, lowering her voice. “Yes, but you were upset and looking for reassurance. I get that now. I just happened to be there. It could have been Raf–” Hope wrinkles her nose. “–or Lizzie…” _Ew_ , what?

“Gross! Josie, _no_.” Hope shakes her head. “Stop.”  
  


“My point is that you were seeking comfort for your broken heart, and I misconstrued that to mean _I_ could provide that comfort.” Josie has clearly given this a lot of thought, which is deeply frustrating because if she had just _talked_ to Hope– 

“That I could be some sort of magical cure for you,” Josie continues. “But I can’t...obviously.”

Hope pauses. “That’s why you kissed me? To _cure_ me?” She folds her arms. “I thought you said I wasn’t broken.”  
  


“No–you’re not!” Josie reaches for her hands but Hope keeps them firmly tucked away under her arms. “I wanted to cure your sadness, not you.” She hesitates, brow furrowing, curious brown eyes flickering across Hope’s face. “Why did you think I kissed you?”

Hope was not expecting to be put on the spot like that. Much to her dismay, she feels herself blush vividly, the blood heating up her face like a stove. Josie’s mouth twitches at the sight of it. “Oh…um. I guess I thought…”  
  


She thinks about the feel of Josie’s forehead pressed against her own; her wide, insistent eyes; the way she’s never before heard her speak with some much _fervour_ …

“...I guess I thought we were having a moment.”

“A moment?” Josie asks, somehow smiling and frowning at the same time.

Hope finds her gaze swaying down to Josie’s lips, the unhinging memory of how they tasted locked away firmly within her mind inside a box labeled _to deal with later_. 

If there’s one thing that Hope values more than anything, it’s honesty. She struggles with it herself, yet loathes when others aren’t honest with her– resents them for it actually. She knows it’s contradictory, hypocritical even. She _knows_. But trust is hard when you’ve lived in a family full of secrets, clouded histories, shaky moralities and enemies your whole life. When you’ve lost the people meant to guide you, it’s a struggle to let others in. 

That moment that she shared with Josie, felt so stripped back, so raw, that it couldn’t be anything but utterly honest, and for that, she treasures it.

“Yeah, you know...” She decides to embrace the embarrassment. There’s something about the way Josie’s looking at her that makes her want to be honest. “One of those moments where you’re like ah, _that’s_ what being alive is about.” 

Josie’s eyes light up and her smile is all teeth as she steps right up to Hope. “I made you feel like that?” Her voice is flushed with softness. “Really?” 

She reaches again for Hope’s hands and this time Hope lets her take them.

“Well, yeah.” She mumbles. “Didn’t...didn’t you?” 

Josie nods. They stay caught on each other’s eyes for a moment too long and Hope clears her throat.

“So what...you wanted to kiss away my sadness?” She teases, her voice low. 

Now it’s Josie’s turn to blush. “Yeah, I guess.” She looks down quickly to where their hands are joined, before she meets Hope’s eyes again. “Did it work?”

Hope thinks. “It certainly made me feel a lot more than just sadness.”  
  


She doesn’t mean that to sound the way it comes out, but from Josie’s startled expression and bright red cheeks, it’s certainly been interpreted that way. 

“Oh...uh...” Josie stutters, looking away nervously. Hope freezes. She’s made it sound like she went and touched herself after Josie left, which _no_ she didn’t, she never does _that_ stuff...

She’s floundering when Josie’s eyes lock onto her’s again, much darker than before. The other girl bites her lip. “Like what kind of things exactly?” The roughness of her voice makes Hope’s stomach jump in a way that’s new for her.

“Hello?” A banging on the bathroom door makes the two girls leap apart like they’ve been electrocuted. “These two are always hiding in bathrooms together.” Hope hears Lizzie complain to whoever her companion is. “It’s totally weird.” She bangs again. “There are other people who have bladders you know?”

Josie quickly spins around and opens the door to a very disgruntled looking Lizzie. MG stands sheepishly next to her.

“Hi, Lizzie! MG!” Josie says briskly, her voice light and airy again. “Is dinner about ready?”

“Not unless you want to eat half-cooked turkey.” Lizzie peers around Josie suspiciously, her eyes narrowing when she spots Hope. “Hope. Looking nice and lurky back there.” Hope rolls her eyes, straightening up and pushing past the lot of them to head back to the communal area.

Secretly, she’s happy for the interruption. Things had been getting a bit too strange and intense just then. Her skin is oddly warm and her breathing is a little shaky.

Hope walks briskly into the living room and almost collides with Landon. She pulls back at the last second and stiffens when she realises who it is. 

“Oh–” Landon says, throat visibly moving as he swallows. “Hope.” For the first time in nearly a week, they stand face to face. He’s here, in Alaric’s cramped flat, wearing a button up grey shirt and too much gel in his hair. The last time she looked at him he was fighting back tears, fists clenched as he stormed off, the blackness of the night swallowing him whole. Since then, he had professed his love for her best friend, then dodged her like the plague while she spent countless nights alone wondering where things went so wrong in their relationship. 

So she stands and waits, wondering what he’ll have to say for himself, telling herself to keep calm and dignified because he doesn’t deserve to see her crack. 

Landon lifts a hand and gives an awkward wave. “Hi.”

She slaps him. 

It’s instinctive. He’s stumbling back, hand to his cheek before she even realises what she’s done. She’s already wound tight from her interaction with Josie in the bathroom, and the sight of his faux innocent, dopey face and that insulting little wave– like everything is _jolly okay_ between them– just snaps whatever self control she still has.

“Okay, I probably deserved that.” Landon mumbles, his shoulders curled in on himself protectively. 

“You think?” She hisses.

The effort of keeping up an unbothered facade all week, while rumours spread about the ‘it’ couple breaking up, has been exhausting, not to mention _embarrassing_. Months of a supposedly loving relationship with this boy and he couldn’t even be bothered to directly break up with her?

“I’m sorry, Hope.” Landon keeps his voice lowered, glancing towards the kitchen where Alaric and Caroline chatter away. “But this is exactly why I hadn’t spoken to you yet–” 

“So you didn’t have to face actual consequences?” 

“No.” His voice is harsh. “Because you can’t resolve any issues without violence.”

“Issues?” She laughs coldly. “ _Issues?_ You mean the end of our relationship? _That_ issue?”

His face falls and his mouth snaps shut. It’s almost as if he’s taken aback by her saying that. Surely he didn’t think they would stay together?

“Hope?” She hears Josie’s wary voice come from behind her. “What’s going on?”  
  


Hope doesn’t turn around, still trying to compose herself as she breathes in and out. Landon looks over her shoulder at Josie. She _hates_ the way his eyes change. Has it always been this obvious?

Slim arms encircle her waist from behind. “Hey.” Josie mumbles into her hair. “You’re okay.” Hope feels her body give a sporadic shake, a reaction to the overwhelming emotions flooding her right now. Josie squeezes her gently in response. Hope closes her eyes, conjuring the calm slide of a brush against canvas, the haunting beauty of a saxophone, the feeling of wet leaves slapping her face as she runs through the forest…

...the taste of kiss-swollen lips mixing with a palpable scent of jasmine–

Um. Hope’s eyes snap open.

Landon is staring at her with heavy guilt in his eyes– which are a mournful grey today. “Hope–” 

“ _Don’t_ , Landon.” It’s Josie who snaps out the command. “Go and help my mom set the table or something.”

Landon’s entire body slumps but he nods and trails off to the kitchen like a scolded puppy.

Josie steps around to face Hope. Her eyes are large and sympathetic. “Are you okay? That seemed intense.” Then she shakes her head. “Stupid question. Of course you’re not okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t even know he was here yet.” 

“I know, Josie.” She had been with the girl in the bathroom.

“You shouldn’t feel like you have to stay.” Josie continues, glancing behind Hope.

“I can totally give our mom some sort of excuse.” Lizzie pipes up. Hope turns around to see her standing with MG in the doorway. She realises with no small amount of embarrassment that they’ve probably been there the whole time.

The offer is tempting. She doesn’t care much for the holiday anyway, not when she doesn’t have her parents to share it with. But leaving would be letting Landon win, and while she knows this isn’t a game (it’s all painfully, painfully real) Hope is no coward.

“No, I’ll stay.” She attempts a weak smile. “It’s just lunch, right? I don’t even have to talk to him.”  
  


The other three all nod hesitantly.

It’s just lunch.

***

“And here we are!” Caroline sings, bringing out the turkey. “Hopefully it isn’t dry, these things are hard to cook to perfection.”

“It looks delicious, Ms C.” MG assures, eyeing the turkey eagerly. MG was a great appreciator of meat, unlike Josie, whose lip twitches with distaste at the sight of the seasoned bird.

“It sure does.” Alaric agrees, standing up to start slicing it. 

It’s fairly snug around the table with all seven of them. Caroline and Alaric have taken the two ends, while Hope sits next to Lizzie on one side and Josie is squished between the boys on the other. It isn’t Hope’s ideal seating chart but Caroline had decided it– something about mixing things up.

Josie looks stiff and uncomfortable, keeping her arms tucked into her body to avoid brushing with Landon, who stares dolefully down at his plate. 

_Why the hell did you come!!_ Hope sends the aggressive question his way with her mind, imagining picking up her now full plate of food and dumping it on his head for good measure. Perhaps it’s the sheer force of her glare, but Landon actually looks up, catching her eye nervously. 

“Hope?” Caroline pulls her attention away from him. “Do you like green beans?” She’s poised with a spoon. 

“Yes please.”

Once they’re all served and seated, Caroline urges them to link hands for a prayer.

Josie sends her a panicked look (as if to say _what do I do?_ ) but Hope just smiles reassuringly, giving her the tiniest of nods. Still, the smile becomes strained as she watches Landon and Josie interlink fingers. Did they need to interlink? A loose hold would do.

As Caroline sounds out the prayer– “Heavenly Father, thank you for this day you have given us to come together in gratitude…” Hope surveys the pair across from her. They both have their eyes tight shut, as does everyone else around the table. For the first few moments, they’re still, seemingly focusing on Caroline’s voice. Then Hope sees it. Landon’s index finger edges across Josie’s hand in a delicate caress.

In shock, Hope’s eyes flick to Josie’s face. The other girl’s jaw is clenched slightly, but otherwise she doesn’t react to Landon’s finger. Did they have some kind of secret affair going on? Just because Landon and Josie hadn’t spoken to _her_ all week, didn’t mean they hadn’t spoken to each other…

The prayer ends and everyone aside from Hope says “Amen”, opening their eyes. Hope glares down at her plate and begins to aggressively cut up her turkey.

***

Conversation throughout lunch is led mostly by Caroline, Lizzie and MG. Every time there’s an awkward lull, Hope sees Lizzie widen her eyes at MG or kick his leg so that he springs into action, introducing another topic. She feels Josie’s eyes on her sporadically but ignores her friend, focusing on getting through the motions of eating.

Alaric cracks out a bottle of prosecco. “It’s not often that all my girls are together like this,” He smiles. “It’s a cause for celebration if I ever knew one.” He starts to fill everyone’s glasses. “Special occasion.” He says, winking at the teenagers.

Hope takes a sip, swilling the fizzy liquid around her mouth. Now that she thinks about it, Josie really didn’t give her many details about what exactly _happened_ between Landon and her on Friday night. And she never explicitly said whether she returns Landon’s feelings. Her stomach clenches. Has she really been this stupid?

For Landon to feel like a love confession could be reciprocated, he must have had some kind of signals coming from Josie. The two had been awfully chummy only a week after Landon broke her heart– you don’t just _forgive_ someone like that unless you’re blinded by love. And that night that they danced...Hope still thinks they’re hiding something about it because they were both cagey when she brought it up. 

She takes another sip of her drink.

“– it turned out that it was this ugly ass creature that was making everyone be total assholes to each other.” MG laughs. Caroline grins in amusement. “Like seriously, he was just the asshole monster.”

Maybe they’ve been playing her for a fool all along– no, surely not. She looks at Josie as she laughs at MG, cheeks and smile bright. Hope’s gaze slides to the right, where another pair of eyes watch the girl. Landon’s expression is one of a child who’s snuck out of bed to watch T.V– soaking in as much as he can before he gets caught. 

He used to look at her like that. Like she could disappear at any moment. 

“Well,” Lizzie interjects. “It kind of went beyond just being an _asshole monster_ when he was trying to eat my dad’s heart. That was a little more extreme.” Caroline jerks her head to look at Alaric with shocked eyes. 

The man scratches the back of his head. “Yeah… we’ve definitely had our share of...sticky situations this semester.”

“Hope and Josie sorted that monster out real good though.” MG says proudly. “Blasted it to another dimension. Pow!” 

“Really?” Caroline seems impressed as she looks at her daughter.

Josie laughs lightly, shrugging. She glances at Hope who offers a strained smile.

“Well, I’m happy to hear that you girls are working together. Girl power is everything of course.” 

Hope scoffs quietly and feels Lizzie look at her with a frown. No one else seems to hear.

Where did it go wrong? Maybe it was that damn speech Josie made at that party. Making her look like a fool, planting seeds of doubt in Landon’s head that he and Hope weren’t really in love, that _Josie_ was the one who really wanted him.

Who’s to say that Josie doesn’t still want him? _Kissing away her sadness_ , Hope scoffs internally. More like distracting Hope from realising the inevitable: that Landon wants Josie and Josie...Josie wants Landon. She swallows.

“Top ups anyone?” Alaric offers. Hope holds out her glass.

***

A while later, the table is cleared and Caroline brings out the pudding. It’s apple pie.

“Okay, who wants?” 

Landon and MG’s _me’s_ are the loudest. They laugh and bump fists. It seems Landon has relaxed enough now to be having a good time, and with a couple of drinks in his system, MG has momentarily forgotten the other boy’s misdemeanors. 

Hope scowls at Landon, hating the fact that he’s enjoying himself. 

She feels a foot nudge her leg under the table. She’s ready to kick back hard if it’s Landon trying to play footsie, but then she notices Josie slumped down slightly in her chair, looking at her with questions in her eyes.

Well, Hope has questions of her own. She raises an eyebrow back and Josie pouts. 

“Okay everyone.” Caroline calls their attention, smile in place. “Now, I’m not blind. I can sense tension around this table.” She gestures with her hand. Lizzie stiffens beside her, and Hope feels her own dread creeping in. “I have an eye for teen drama, having been involved in it– and the cause of it– plenty of times.” She winks. “But do you know what I’ve found? That realising what it is that you _appreciate_ about your friends, makes everything else seem insignificant. And after all, it is _Thanksgiving_.”

Caroline stands up, flicking back her blonde hair and holding out her glass. “I’ll go first.” She turns to MG, who sits to her left. “MG. Even though I just met you, I appreciate your impeccable manners and friendly attitude. And I always appreciate someone who can hold a good conversation, because as everyone knows, I love to talk.” She laughs along with Alaric. MG is smiling up at her, but looks a little bemused by the whole situation. 

“That’s very kind, Ms C. Thank you for having me here.”

“You’re welcome. Now, your turn. Pass it down.” 

Her voice leaves no room for argument. MG swivels in his seat to face Josie. “Jo...I appreciate your patience, your honesty–”

Hope clicks her tongue. Josie glances at her briefly before turning back to MG with a dampened smile.

“– the way you will always listen to my rambles about superheroes and comics and physics and dance and all the stuff you’re not really into. That you were kind to me from the start even though I spilt a drink on your books and babbled about how hot I thought your sister was.” His peek at Lizzie is both bashful and cheeky. The blonde’s cheeks redden slightly. Alaric gives him a look of disapproval but Josie giggles. “And most of all, that I know you’ll always be there for me if I need you.” 

Caroline coos at the pair as they hug sweetly.

Then Josie turns very slowly and very stiffly to face Landon who’s already looking at her nervously from under his eyelashes. 

“Um…” Josie begins awkwardly, clearing her throat. “Landon. You’re, uh, you always...um–”

“Didn’t you guys date?” Caroline cuts off her nervous ramblings, chuckling. “Don’t act like you’re strangers.” She ribs.

Hope stares at her glass, rolling it between her fingers. Is the universe out to get her?  
  


“Right.” Josie says quietly. “Landon. You were there for me at a time when I felt very alone, like something was missing.” Out of the corner of her eye, Hope notes Josie looking at her. “And I’ll always be thankful for that.” The brunette turns to face the table again, ending her speech there. 

“Thanks Jo.” Landon says softly.

Hope feels tense all over.

There’s a slight pause as Caroline wrinkles her nose, obviously trying to gauge the current mood.

“Short and sweet.” MG says, clasping his hands together. “Uh, Landon, your go–”

“Who wants to hear why _I_ appreciate Landon?” Hope cuts him off, smiling sweetly. 

“Nobody.” Lizzie quickly replies.

“Hope, sweetie, it’s Landon’s turn to tell _Alaric_ why he appreciates him. And then you tell Lizzie.” Caroline informs her kindly.

“Well I thought we could switch it up. Landon has squat to say to Dr Saltzman anyway–”

“Not true!” Landon interrupts her hurriedly. “Dr Saltzman, thank you for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go–”  
  


“I for one, appreciate the way that Landon always considers other people’s feelings before he does something.” Hope speaks loudly. Her body feels hot but her mind is clear. She’s been wanting to say this for a while. Landon stares at her, looking frightened. “That he handles things maturely, and takes his time to do the right thing, because at the end of the day, that’s what matters.” 

“Well,” Caroline says hesitantly. “That’s nice–”

“Oh wait. No. That’s not you, is it Landon?” Hope says cuttingly. “See Landon may _look_ like your typical cute, nerdy type. The sort of boy who falls for a girl and gives her his whole heart, utterly devoted. And you believe it, because he’s so, so earnest, and seems to have all the grand speeches in his back pocket, delivered with just the right amount of fumbly charm and vulnerability.” 

Her eyes are locked onto Landon’s. It’s just them in this room right now. 

“And I believed it.” Her voice is quiet now, cracking slightly, because no matter how much she tries to push it back, no matter how much she wants this to be a cool, cutting speech, sadness is sneaking in. “So one day, strengthened by that love, I threw myself into a dark pit, not knowing if that was it for me.” A tear drizzles down Landon’s cheek. “But it wasn’t. It was an inbetween. I was conscious, but separate from the world, forgotten. Yet I held onto that love, came running back– literally–” She chuckles sadly. “for it. Only to find that I’d been replaced.” 

Now she looks at Josie, whose eyes are also wet. “Everything changed the moment I stepped into that pit. I won’t delude myself anymore.” 

Alaric has his head in his hands, MG and Lizzie stare uncomfortably down at the table. 

Slowly, Hope stands up and turns to Caroline, whose eyes are wide. “Thank you for lunch, Caroline. But I need to go now.” 

The room is silent as she departs, wondering when she became so breakable. Her dad would be ashamed.

***

Hope makes it down the endless flights of stairs and out the front door of the building before Josie catches up to her. 

“Hope! Wait!” Josie pants. She tugs on Hope’s arm to bring her to a stop.

Hope turns around. “What?” She says bluntly. 

Josie’s brown eyes stutter with hurt and confusion at her tone. “I just wanted to check on you, obviously. You’re upset.”

“I’m not upset.” The lie is a stupid one, but she’s grasping at her dignity right now. 

“Yes. You are. And, uh, you seem angry...at me.” 

Hope folds her arms. “I’m not angry at you, Josie. I’m just tired.”

“Do you wanna go home and rest–”

“No–” Hope cuts her off. “–I’m tired of Landon, and I’m tired of you.” 

Josie’s eyes bleed new tears and her lips give an obvious quiver. 

“I don’t–” Josie shakes her head rapidly. “I don’t understand. In the bathroom, we were fine–”

That conversation seemed so long ago now. “And you were fine holding Landon’s hand at the table, and talking about how he was your missing piece when you felt alone–”

Josie is shaking her head again. “What? No – that’s not what I meant–”

“And dancing with him behind my back, and keeping secrets about whatever he whispered in your ear.” She waits for Josie to tell her she’s wrong. 

Josie swallows. “How– how did you know that?”

It cuts Hope deep. “I know you.” She snaps, turning around. 

Josie pulls her back. “I only kept it from you because I knew it would hurt you!” She cries out.

“Kept _what_?” Hope shouts.

Josie bites her lip hard, hesitating. “He told me that he wished his first time had been with me.” She whispers finally.

Hope flinches. Then humiliation and rage rears its ugly head. “Well isn’t that just great?” She spits. “I bet that felt good after the way he dumped you. Knowing he regretted it. I wasn’t even a good enough fuck for him.” She says in disbelief, feeling slightly hysterical now.

“It felt awful.” Josie is crying. “That he threw away what we had without a second glance, only to tell me he regrets it, while still sleeping with you– what was I supposed to say? Or do?” 

Hope grabs her by the shoulders. “You _tell_ me! I thought you loved me?”

“I do, I do.” Josie weeps. 

“You let me be with him while you knew that?” Hope shakes her head. “Do you know how small that makes me feel? You could have put me out of my misery weeks ago.” She pushes Josie away from her. 

“Hope–”  
  


“And you know what, Jo? I’ve _always_ tried to put you first. Been patient. Tried to prove to you that I cared, even at the expense of my own relationship.” It clicks into place for her. “I guess I was pushing him your way all along.”

They must look a strange sight, crying on the sidewalk in their charming thanksgiving dresses.

Josie just shakes her head, looking drained and hurt and unsure about everything. Her cheeks are a blotchy red and tendrils of hair have escaped her plaits. “I wasn’t trying to break you two up.” She says eventually.

“But you want him, don’t you?” 

Josie lets her shoulders rise and fall. “I don’t– I don’t know. I just want…” She trails off, her large eyes looking at Hope desperately. 

Hope nods. “Right. I guess you two have something in common then. Because all the beautiful, honest words you said to me, seems like they don’t quite hold up either.”

She walks away before Josie can see her composure dissolve.

  
  



	20. Chapter 20

Jed inhales deeply, savouring the burn in his chest. The late autumn sun spills out across his floorboards and he focuses on it with a high-induced appreciation. 

Brock has gone home to spend Thanksgiving with his family and their room is quiet without him. Not for the first time, Jed envies him for having a family of all wolves. Something other than this shithole to go to. A place he’s _wanted_. No wonder the guy is happy as larry all the fucking time.

Earlier, Jed called his mom to wish her a happy thanksgiving. A small, childlike part of him hoped she might still invite him over, but no luck. The phone call was as usual: his mom speaking to him with a wary, agitated voice, as if he’s some random dude that won’t leave her alone and not her son. He barely got a minute on the phone with his little brother and sister either. 

“Fuck.” He growls, picking up a textbook off his bedside table and lobbing it at the door. Thinking about his mom always fills him with this terrible, aching confliction.

He’s kind of starving but no way is he trudging down to the food hall to sit with the other sad sacks who haven’t got families. His pride simply won’t allow it. Instead, he takes another drag. One good thing about being a jacked wolf with anger issues: it’s not hard to get excellent hash.

His brain is just starting to fuzz around the edges when there’s a knock on his door. 

“Ah fuck.” He curses, jerking upright. He thought that wanker of a headmaster was off playing happy family today. “Shit.” He rolls off the bed, tossing the joint onto an ash tray and stumbling to the window to yank it open. There’s another knock. “Just a second–” He calls out. He’s been taking full liberty of having the room to himself and isn’t wearing more than his boxers. Several stinking clothes are thrown in the general direction of his hamper before he finds a decent pair of jeans to pull on. 

He yanks open the door and– “Josie?”

She lifts her hand limply in a wave before letting it drop. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Her eyes flit down his torso and he’s suddenly aware of his bare chest. “Sorry I wasn’t expecting visitors…”

“Right. Sorry. If you’re busy I can-”

“No!” He curses himself internally for sounding panicked. “Not busy at all. Come in.”

She gives him a fleeting smile and steps inside. 

While Josie’s examining his room, he examines her. She’s wearing some kind of fancy get up, with lace and tights and her hair in braids. He hates that he finds it cute. What bothers him more though, is the palpable sadness she’s emitting right now, and the tears stains on her cheeks. 

She runs her hand over his _Kill Bill_ poster. “Tarantino fan?”

“Those movies are kick-ass.”

She smiles and his stomach takes a spin. Then he notices something, and it tightens. “Your face.” He’s in front of her in a second, trailing a finger along a cut on her jawline.

Josie seems taken aback by his sudden proximity. “What?”

“You’re hurt.”

She frowns, stepping back from his touch and walking over to his mirror. “Oh…” She murmurs, tilting her head. “Must have been the glass.”

“Glass?” 

She turns, momentary surprise on her face before it clears. He smirks. Witches always forget about wolf hearing. 

“Yeah, I had an…intense encounter. Afterwards, I needed to let out a little frustration and–” She shrugs, embarrassed. “Some car windows got shattered.” 

“With what?” He asks, shocked. 

“My magic.”

“Huh.” He coughs and folds his arms. The more he realises how crazy powerful Josie Saltzman is, the more appealing she gets. “Fair enough.”

Josie smiles properly now. “I’m glad you think so.” She shrugs off her coat and places it on his desk chair. “So, smoking for thanksgiving?”

“Better than turkey.” He shrugs. “You want a hit?” 

She hesitates. “Yeah, why not?”

***

He’s so caught on her that it’s humiliating. It’s all the things he doesn’t care about in other girls, things he wouldn’t even notice. Her baby hairs, the line of her throat, the fact her lips are a little chapped from the cold. He wants to moisten them up with his own. 

“I’m terrible at rolling.” She says, chuckling.

“Give it here.” He grins, taking the joint from her clumsy fingers.

Jed expertly rolls it, and she watches as he runs his tongue along the paper. He’s put a shirt on now, but her previous appreciation of his body had been noted.

“What were you gonna do if it was my dad?” She asks cheekily, leaning back against the headboard.

“At the door?” She hums in affirmation. “Offer him a smoke, obviously.” She giggles and the sound rains down his ears. “The old fella always looks like he needs one.”

“You got that right.”

He hands her back the joint and his lighter, watching as she lights it and takes a drag. No coughing. 

“You’ve done this before.” 

She raises her eyebrows. “I dated Penelope Park.”

“Ah, of course.” He always forgets she’s like, half lesbian. “Got any girl on girl action recently?”

Josie stiffens noticeably. “You don’t think there’s enough shit going on in my life right now?” She says coolly, exhaling smoke.

“I suppose you’re right. These days you’re turning us away in packs.”

Her brown eyes scrutinise him and he feels exposed. “You’re annoyed about me blowing you off.”

“No.” It’s the truth. He feels no anger towards Josie. “But I’m guessing something went down between you and Kirby.”

She doesn’t reply at first, choosing instead to pass him the joint. He takes it, waiting. “It depends what you mean by _went down_.”

“He told you how he felt?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

She sighs, crossing and uncrossing her legs. “He thinks he loves me.”

“ _T_ _hinks_?” Jed scoffs. “Are those your words or his?”

“Mine. I’m not convinced.”

“Can’t see why.”

She looks at him. “What do you mean?”

“Why wouldn’t he love you?”

“Because–” She splutters. “What about Hope?”

“What about her?”

“Well not that long ago he was in love with _her_!”

Jed rolls his eyes. “That girl treated him like a dog. Not that he didn’t deserve it, the pussy.”

Josie seems affronted by his words. “You’re wrong!”

“Which part?”

“All of it.” She snaps. A pause. “Hope didn’t treat him like a dog.”

“Uh _yeah,_ she might as well have gotten him a leash and tied him up out of her way.”

“No, you don’t get it.”

“I don’t?”

“No.” Josie appears frustrated. “Hope’s life moves fast; she’s constantly needed for something or another, and sometimes Landon, well, he would hold her back more than help her.”

He folds his arms. “So why not just end it? Why wait for that idiot to dump _her_? I mean, that’s just embarrassing.”

The wolf inside of him is thrilled when Josie’s eyes flash with heat and annoyance. “Don’t forget that you’re talking to someone who’s _also_ been dumped by Landon Kirby.”

“True, that was pretty pathetic.” He smirks when Josie’s eyes narrow. “But you’ve got him panting at your feet now, babe.”

She blushes and he appreciates the colour greedily. 

They finish the joint in silence and Josie sighs. “I should probably get going…” Her voice has taken on a pleasant airy quality, her shoulders less tight than when she first came in. “I left my dad’s apartment in a bit of a… state. I’m sure Lizzie and my mom are looking for me.”

“Or, you could stay.” He suggests and she looks at him curiously. “Forget about everyone else for a while.” 

“I don’t know…”

“Just for a bit? For once, don’t think about others.”

She chews her lip, undecided. Jed leans down under his bed and comes back up with his bong in hand. “I think I know how we can have some more _hard-hitting_ fun.” He says enticingly. 

Josie laughs, mischief and delight tied up in the sound, and he knows he’s got her.

***

“What’s it like to run as a wolf?”

They’re both lying on the bed, Josie tucked under his arm. It’s darker in the room now as the sun goes down but neither make a move to turn on a light, preferring to bask in the shadows.

“Hm…” He contemplates the question with lethargic ease. “Hasn’t Hope ever told you?” 

“Bits and pieces,” She says. “I always got the sense it was deeply personal to her. Didn’t want to push.”

“It is personal.” He agrees. “The whole process is us at our most raw and vulnerable. If someone ever lets you see them change, _especially_ for the first time, then they really trust you.”

Josie hums thoughtfully.

“Running is…incredible.” Jed says, lost in memories. “Imagine every part of your body working to maximum ability. You feel this limitless power, it’s addictive.” He would give a lot to be able to change at will like Hope.

“Yeah,” Josie whispers. “I think I might know what feeling you’re talking about.”

He looks at her in surprise. “I doubt that.”

“When I do magic sometimes, I get that feeling.” She picks up one of his hands and starts to play with his long fingers. Jed swallows.

“Impossible.” He scoffs, partially distracted by the delicate feel of her. “Witches can never feel what wolves do.”

She sits up, and he locks eyes with her, entranced by the darkness of her gaze. “Like all the things you’ve ever felt or could feel, hit you at once. And it’s not too much – well it is, but you need it to be,” Jed licks his lips, listening. “It gives you a clarity, a humming in your veins. Like if you were to throw yourself in an ocean you wouldn’t drown, or if you walked through fire it would part for you.” She smiles and it’s kind of terrifying. “That’s what I feel when I let the magic that calls for me into my body. And then there’s people trying to tell me I shouldn’t use it?” Josie laughs incredulously. “Well, not people.” She corrects herself. “A person.”

“Dark magic?” Jed murmurs. 

Josie nods. “Until I find something that makes me feel like that, I’m not giving it up.”

Jed can feel himself throbbing, but he doesn’t move, scared of shattering the energy that pulses in the air. “Any ideas of where to look?”

For a split second, something– he’s not sure what– an emotion, a thought, a memory, maybe, dances through Josie’s eyes. “Only the stars and the moon and the velvet night sky.” She quips, the _something_ vanishing away.

Jed moves closer to her. “I know a little something about the moon.” He whispers throatily. 

Now, in almost complete darkness, Josie is just her piercing eyes and devastating mouth. He waits and it’s the longest second of his life.

“Well I suppose that’s a start…” She finally whispers back, leaning into him. 

As their mouths connect, Jed thinks he’d give up all the running for _this_ to last forever.

***

She falls asleep after, lying on her front, back gently rising and falling with the rhythm of her breaths. Jed can’t, he’s too wired, still feeling it all.

Instead he lights one up and admires the moonlight on her skin. He wants to touch her, run his fingers down her spine, but even with what they just did, he doesn’t feel she’s his to touch.

***

The bedroom door hits the wall with a force that splits it into a dozen spidery cracks.

“What the–” Jed snarls, sitting up in bed with lightning speed. He freezes when he sees who it is.

Josie is slower, coming into consciousness with reluctance. “What is it…” She mumbles, eyes still pressed shut.

Hope Mikaelson stands in his doorway, wilder than Jed’s ever seen her– and that’s saying something. Her chest expands rapidly – from sheer anger, not lack of breath – and he’s never thought the colour blue more cutting than right now as he looks in her eyes. 

“Get. Up.” She growls, voice like thunder. Jed doesn’t want to get up because he’s naked and thinks that Hope may actually kill him if she sees that.

Josie is most definitely awake now. “Hope, what are you doing here?” Her voice is a little shaky.

Hope doesn’t pull her piercing gaze from Jed, even as she answers her. “I’ve been looking for _you_ all night.”

Jed can hear Josie swallow. “Why?”

_That_ gets Hope to look at her in disbelief. “Why? Because Lizzie came to my room last night in a panic because she hadn’t been able to find you since you left Thanksgiving dinner upset. We checked all your favourite spots in the school, town, even the woods.” Josie is shrinking with every word Hope snaps. “I didn’t think to check the _boy’s_ dormitories, until I was walking down the hall and caught your scent.” 

“It’s my fault.” Jed pulls Hope’s eyes back to his. “She was gonna leave but I offered her a smoke. We lost track of time, sorry. But–” He glances at his bedside clock and winces. “It’s six am. How bout we all get some sleep and you guys can talk later.” 

Hope barks out a laugh. “No, _I’m_ sorry. Sorry that you’re actually dumb enough to believe that Josie is going to spend another _second_ in this bedroom, and you’re going to spend another second with your head attached.”

She starts to move forward and Jed tenses up, mind flicking rapidly through his options. 

“Hope, no!” Josie has slipped out of bed, one of his blankets wrapped around her body. She hurriedly places herself between them. 

The flicker of pain that cracks through Hope’s mask of anger as she looks at Josie’s body is confusing to Jed. “I’m the one you’re angry at. It was stupid and selfish of me not to let anyone know where I was.” She reaches with the hand not holding up the blanket to touch Hope’s arm, but the other girl jerks away. “I’m really sorry.”

“You slept with him?” Hope hisses back at her, finally getting to the elephant in the room. “How could you?”

“I–” Josie seems at a loss for words. “It just happened.” Jed slowly picks his jeans off the floor, pulling them on under the covers.

“No!” Hope seems to be rapidly losing control. “No, Jo. These things don’t just happen. You make a decision for them to happen.”

Josie doesn’t do anything but shiver slightly in the blanket.

“Here, Josie.” Hope’s head whips round as Jed offers Josie one of his t-shirts and some sweatpants. 

“Like hell she’s putting your clothes on.” Hope snarls. 

“You want her to stand there naked?!” She winces at the word. “It’s fucking freezing.”

Hope’s eyes flick to Josie, who is shivering more obviously now. “Fine. But you turn the fuck around.” 

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen–”

Hope lunges, fire in her eyes, and Josie grabs at her, the blanket slipping. “Hope, stop–”

Hope catches the blanket before it can slip further than below Josie’s breasts, averting her eyes. “Turn around.” She says again, over Josie’s shoulder. Jed flings his hands up in annoyance but does what he’s told. 

Around thirty seconds later Josie mumbles “Okay, I’m done.”

When Jed sees that she’s had to triple knot the sweatpants to keep them up he grins.

“I can’t believe you fucked him.” His grin vanishes and he glares at the girl he cannot stand.

“What’s the big fucking deal? You wanted her away from Kirby, right?”

“The big fucking deal is you took advantage of her when she was upset!”

Jed splutters in outrage.

“Oh for god’s sake, Hope.” Josie interrupts them, looking annoyed now. “He didn’t take advantage of me. And may I say that who I do or don’t sleep with is none of your concern.”

“Oh really?” Hope scoffs. “You are such a damn hypocrite. _You_ got pissed at me when I slept with Landon!”

Josie chews her lip. “That was different. You knew I wasn’t over him yet and you did it even though it would hurt me.”

“Yeah well,” Hope searches for the words. “ _This_ hurts me!”

“Why?”

Jed wonders the same.

“Why? Because we had an argument, and instead of trying to make up, you went and had a good old time fucking someone. Nice to know how much I mean to you.”

Josie recoils at the accusation. “For your information, I knocked on your door first as soon as I got back, but you didn’t answer.”

Hope digests that information for a second, her eyes flicking between Josie’s. “I was in the forest clearing my head.”

Josie’s shoulders slump. “Well I didn’t know that. I thought you were ignoring me.”

“You could have come back later.”

“I planned to, but…” Josie trails off.

“But Jed’s dick called.” Hope’s voice is icy again.

Josie’s spine snaps straight and she steps forward in anger. “Fuck you. You told me you were tired of me, and you left me crying on the sidewalk. And now you want to call me the bad friend?”

“I didn’t _mean_ it!” Hope’s voice is strained. “I would never be tired of you.” Josie’s lip wobbles. “I was tired of you lying to me, tired of you not being sure of what you wanted.”

Josie lets out a damp laugh. “Right, because everyone is so sure of what they want around here? Landon knows what he wants? _You_ know what you want?”

“I’m actually taking the time to figure things out, rather than running away from my problems.”

Jed is baffled. He’s never seen anything like this. The way the two girls fight is both sharp and soft. Even as Hope’s words are cutting, her eyes flash with more emotions than he can count. She seems to both push into and pull away from Josie at the same time. 

Jo is no different. He watches as she steps into Hope’s space. “Running away?”

“Yes. All I asked was for you to tell me whether you wanted _him_ or–” Hope cuts herself off. “Or not. And you couldn’t even answer that. And then you sleep with Jed. Stop messing people around, Josie.”

Josie shoves her and Hope catches her wrists. “You and Landon messed me around for weeks!” She screams. “Every time I tried to move on, one of you would ruin it by telling me something that pulls me right back into your mess. I can do what I want! You think I don’t know that you tried to stop Landon from being my friend?”

Hope’s mouth snaps shut.

“Yeah, he told me. So how about you sort your own shit out, Hope, and stop trying to control what I do.”

“I did that for your own good, after the party. So, he wouldn’t hurt you anymore.”

Josie stares at her. “So you can do that, but I can’t keep something from you that would obviously cause you pain?”

Hope shakes her head. “I can handle the truth. You don’t need to protect me.”

“And _I_ need protecting?” 

“Yes!”

Josie looks momentarily surprised, then her eyes narrow in anger. “What?” She tries to pull away from Hope, but the girl holds tight to her wrists. “I’m not a child–”

“You’re delicate right now, Josie–”

“Fuck you–”

“I know that you’re struggling.”

“I’m not.” Josie has gone from the aggressor to the prey, looking exactly like a cornered animal. Jed frowns, unhappy with how this is playing out. He steps forward.

“Hope, leave her alone.”

“Excuse me?” Hope looks at him like she’s shocked he’s even daring to speak. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about _you_.”

“Oh yeah, I’m so fucking scared.” Jed sneers. “Reality check, Mikaelson: you can’t always get what you fucking want. People aren’t your puppets. But I guess you may have realised that when Kirby dumped your ass.” He folds his arms smugly. “That must have been a blow to the ego. The great Hope Mikaelson being broken up with by some dweeb whose only power is dying a lot. Oh wait-” He holds a mocking finger up. “He didn’t even bother to break up with you, right? Ouch.” 

Hope steps around Josie, teeth glinting in a snarl. “As usual Jed, you are dumber than a cyclops. I always get what I want, and I _do_ what I want. You think I want _him_ anymore? I don’t.” She prowls closer. “There’s only one thing I want to do right now.”

She moves in the time it takes him to give her an unimpressed blink. The window glass shatters into a thousand glittering pieces around him, scattering in the November air as he falls with surprising speed.

Josie’s panicked scream rings in his ears but its Hope’s cold, composed stare looking down on him that he catches just before he hits the ground.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took a while. I'm very busy with uni rn but will try write whenever I can. Your comments really encourage me though so thank you:))


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to quickly say that my Hope is not the glossy hero of canon legacies, she has her issues, she is flawed, as all my characters are. I have no interest in writing perfect characters, as not only is that unrealistic, what kind of story would that be? Some seem to think she is abusive, and yes, maybe she has those tendencies which is no surprise considering her father. But ultimately everyone in this fic, especially Hope and Josie, are balancing heightened emotions with immense supernatural powers.
> 
> Here is a slightly lighter chapter before things get messy again. Enjoy and thank you for all the support:)

“Jed!” Josie screams, running to the window and leaning out. Jed is crumpled on the ground, one of his arms bent at an odd angle. He groans. She swings around to stare at Hope. “You _threw_ him out the _window_?”

Hope folds her arms, looking vastly unbothered. “He deserved it.”

“You could have killed him!” 

Hope scoffs. “As if.”

Josie shakes her head in disbelief, turning back. “Jed, are you okay?” She watches as the boy attempts to sit up but yelps in pain. 

“Hold on!” Distressed, Josie goes to lean out further but Hope grabs her arm.

“Jesus, Jo, be careful of the glass.” Hope motions towards the jagged remains of the window jutting out dangerously close to Josie’s throat.

Josie shakes her off. “Maybe you should have thought of that before you _broke_ it with Jed’s body!”

“Did you not hear the things he was saying to me?”

“So slap him, don’t throw him out the window!”

“He’s a wolf, he’ll heal.”

“He has broken bones – what is wrong with you?”

Hope looks hurt, as if what Josie is saying is somehow out of order. “What is wrong with _you_?

“My god, you better not be on about me sleeping with Jed…” Hope pouts petulantly and Josie rolls her eyes. “I was upset, we were high, it just happened. Get over it. And take me down there to him.” She points out the window. 

“No.”

“Hope! Just jump me down there. I know you can do it.”  
  


Hope peers over the ledge. “I don’t want to break my leg.”

Josie splutters in outrage before pushing past the other girl. “Fine. I’ll walk down.” She hates it when Hope acts like this – all sharp and unforgiving – and she isn’t used to it being directed at herself.  
  


“Maybe tell your sister you're alive, too!” Hope yells after her, an almost undetectable quiver in her voice.

***

Jed has several broken ribs, a broken leg and a broken arm. 

“It’s going to take a bit of time for your wolf healing to do its job.” The nurse says, frowning. She hadn’t been too pleased about being woken up before seven. “You aren’t quite as resilient as the vamps.” 

“I know that.” Jed mumbles bitterly as he lies in the infirmary bed. 

Josie stands beside him, her heart beating erratically. “But he’ll heal?”  
  


“Of course he will.” The nurse dismisses her with a wave of her hand. “But you need to report whichever student did this to you. Dr Saltzman has a zero violence policy.”

“Oh yeah, except when it comes to the vamps and witches.” Jed snipes.

“It’s your choice, Mr Lee, but you’re pretty bashed up. I’d want some compensation if it were me lying in that bed.” She walks away to attend to another student.

Josie takes Jed’s hand. “I’m sorry about Hope. She shouldn’t have done that, I don’t–” She stops, taking a breath. “I’m not sure what’s got into her.”

Jed sighs, letting his eyes droop closed. The painkillers the nurse gave him must be kicking in. “I can think of a few things.”  
  


For a short while, she watches. She’s never seen him like this– so vulnerable and unguarded. His eyelashes flutter restlessly against his cheeks, pain working its way maliciously into his dreams. She smooths his dark hair back from his forehead, feeling unbearably guilty.

Josie leaves him there to sleep and heads to her bedroom. She pushes the door open carefully, not wishing to wake up Lizzie, but it’s barely shut behind her when Lizzies struggles upright. 

“Jo?” She’s dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants rather than pjs, and is on top of the covers of her bed.

“Hey...” Josie whispers.

“Oh, thank god.” Relief flushes Lizzie’s face. “I was worried I was going to have to call Mom.” 

“You didn’t tell her?” A small weight is lifted off Josie’s shoulders.

Lizzie slides off the bed and makes her way over. “No, Mom is still at the apartment, she’s giving you some space this weekend. After what happened I didn’t want to make things worse between you two. But if you weren’t back by morning, then...” 

Josie nods. She examines the dark smudges under her sister’s eyes and the guilt she’s already feeling tenfolds. “I’m sorry, Lizzie. It was shitty of me not to tell you where I was.”  
  


“Where were you?”  
  


Josie hesitates. But she owes Lizzie at least the truth. “With Jed.”  
  


Lizzie scrunches her nose up in confusion. “Jed? Why?” For the first time since Josie entered the room she seems to take in Josie’s outfit. “What are you _wearing_? You’re practically swimming in those.”

Josie walks past her and sits on her bed. Her neck feels stiff and she can feel yesterday’s makeup caked unpleasantly around her eyes. “Hope and I had an argument.”

Lizzie raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. 

“She basically blamed me for the fact her relationship with Landon collapsed.”

“Well…” Lizzie starts. 

“Are you taking her side?” Josie demands.

“No! But…Landon isn’t over you.”

“And how’s that my fault?” 

“It’s not.” Lizzie placates. “But it’s got to be hard for Hope. I mean, you heard her at dinner, she was falling apart.”

Josie chews her lip. “I know.” God, she knows. Josie would do anything to help Hope. Even, as last Friday proved, _kiss_ her. She blushes at the memory. But Hope had pushed her away, and then she’d shouted at her yesterday _and_ today because Josie hadn’t been there for her. It’s left her head in a whirlwind.

Lizzie is watching her curiously. “Why are you blushing?”

Josie snaps back into the present. “I’m not.” She heads to her dresser and grabs some makeup wipes, starting to tackle the mess on her face. 

“So...Jed’s?” Lizzie questions again.

“I was so _frustrated_ and done with all of that _mess_ , I just needed to get away.” Josie sighs. “I didn’t want to be alone, and the only person I could think of was Jed.”

“And he what? Comforted you?” Lizzie sounds dubious. Josie understands, most people don’t know Jed has a sensitive side.

“We smoked, it was nice.” Lizzie snorts. “And then…”

“And then?”

Josie feels nervous. “We slept together.” She mumbles.

Lizzie frowns. “Like in the same bed?”

“No, Lizzie.”

Lizzie’s eyes widen. “Oh my god!”

Josie blushes.

“Oh my _god_ . Are you serious?”

"Yes...” Josie says hesitantly.

“Who _are_ you and what have you done with the girl who wouldn’t even tell Raf she liked him?”

Apart from being obviously astonished, Lizzie seems kind of delighted. Josie relaxes. 

“She got bored of never seizing the moment.”

“Damn right she did.” Lizzie appraises her. “Was he any good? That was your first time with a guy, right?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s a big deal, Jo.” 

“Yeah, it is.” Josie realises.

“So?” Lizzie says impatiently. “Was he? Good?”

Josie thinks for a second. “He was, actually. Very…” She blushes even more. “Attentive.”

Lizzie claps her hands together. “This is so great!”

Josie grins. “Why?”

“It’s about time you forget about that hobbit. You’re too good for him.” 

Josie sighs. “Landon needs to be by himself right now anyway.”

“So, where is he?” Lizzie asks.

“Landon?” 

“No! Jed. Why are you back so early? He didn’t kick you out–” Lizzie starts to look outraged.

“No, no. He’s, uh, in the hospital wing.”

“What?!”

***

Lizzie doesn’t know how to react once Josie explains this morning’s events. She moves from: “OUT THE WINDOW?” to “She’s done it. She’s finally lost it! ” to “And it was going to so well for Jed…” until eventually, some unexpected sympathy:  
  


“Poor girl was up all night looking for you. Seemed convinced you’d been snatched by something.”

“What would I be snatched by?” 

“I don’t know Josie, one of the many creatures that seem to roam this school weekly?”

Josie crosses her arms. “That doesn’t matter. She had no right–”

“I know. But she probably _was_ half crazy by the time she got to that room.”

Josie isn’t sure whether to frown or smile. She settles for both. “You’re Hope’s biggest defender this morning.”  
  


Lizzie pulls a face. “Don’t you dare tell her. Ever.”  
  


***

Lizzie needs to sleep some more so Josie grabs a change of clothes and heads to the showers. She smells like sweat and Jed’s aftershave. 

Afterwards, she makes her way down to the dining hall and quickly becomes aware of the copious amount of eyes tracking her movements to the coffee machine. 

Many students heard the commotion that the three of them made earlier, from Hope and Josie’s _less than quiet_ argument, to Jed’s body smashing through a window. Those who hadn’t heard it had probably heard _of_ it by now. Gossip travels fast in the Salvatore School, even at 8am. 

Josie’s pouring herself a coffee when a couple of younger witches approach her, eyes wide.

“Did you cheat on Hope Mikaelson?” The dumpy one with glasses and pink hair asks. She can’t be more than fourteen. 

“Excuse me?” Josie frowns, taken aback.

“No, you idiot–” The other girl nudges her friend. “She stole Hope’s boyfriend.” 

“I did _not_.” Josie snaps. 

“Oh.” They blink. “So what did you do?” 

“Nothing.” Josie bites, taking her coffee and walking off to sit down. Goddamnit Hope.

Angrily, she sips at her coffee even though it’s way too hot to drink. The scorching of her throat is a welcome distraction. She’s so full to the brim with conflicting emotions right now that she doesn’t know what the hell she’s feeling. Why did Hope have to be so _difficult_? She knows what she’s feeling when it comes to other people. When she thinks of Landon, there’s immense frustration, mixed with confusion, affection and a sliver of longing for what was, and what could have been. When she thinks of Jed, she feels a pleasing warmth, a little excitement, but also a panging guilt. Not just because she blames herself for Hope’s actions, but because she knows she’s sending him mixed messages.

But when she thinks of Hope…

She had no right to burst in on them like that and start making demands! Josie hates being treated like Hope’s little sister, caught in bed with a boy. The fact that Josie’s first reaction when she saw Hope standing there was _guilt_ says enough. She needs to stop letting the other girl have so much swing over her.

_But you weren’t there for her,_ a nagging voice at the back of her head protests. _She’s your best friend and you weren’t there when she needed you._

She thinks about Hope, brave, brave Hope, cracking open her heart for everyone to see yesterday. Forced to do it in front of an audience because Landon didn't have the decency to do it in private. 

She thinks about how much that must have hurt her, _knows_ how much it hurts when someone has cut you loose before you even realised the string was fraying.

This morning wasn’t about her, or Jed, or the fact that they slept together, Josie realises. It was about Hope feeling abandoned. 

She stares hard into her coffee, picturing Jed lying in his hospital bed. Hope had still done a really terrible thing. She should leave her to stew in that for a while. Maybe then she would stop being so damn impulsive.

But it seems her body isn’t quite listening to her brain as she finds herself gravitating towards Hope’s room anyway. 

Hope opens the door very slowly, giving Josie the impression that she almost didn’t open it at all. When she sees Josie she curls in on herself, folding her arms protectively. The set of her mouth is sulky and petulant, but her eyes are agitated as she waits for Josie to speak.

Josie takes in the mess of her hair and her tank top. “Oh, you were sleeping?” Of course, she’d been up all night. Because of _her._

“Trying to.” 

Josie sighs. “Sorry, I’ll leave you to it.” She turns to go. 

“No–” Josie waits. Hope hesitates, opening and closing her mouth. “What did you want to say?”

“Can I come in?”  
  


Hope nods, stepping aside. The room is warm, the thick curtains drawn and some incense lit. It smells like pine needles. Josie quirks an eyebrow. 

“I didn’t know you were into this hippy stuff?”

“I often find it hard to sleep. The smell of forests helps.”

“You never light it when I sleep here.”

Hope huffs, her cheeks tinting. “Yeah, well, I’m not struggling to sleep then.”

Josie turns away, hiding a smile. She realises how much she misses Hope, misses being close to her. They had gotten so settled into their rhythms and now everything was disrupted.

“You shouldn’t have done that to Jed.” She says firmly, looking at her.

Hope stands up straight as if ready for an argument, but Josie keeps her face neutral. She’s tired of arguing. 

Hope doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then: “Is he okay?”

“Yes. I mean, lots of broken bones,” –a flicker of something in Hope’s expression– “but yes, he’s okay.”

Hope sighs, some of the sharpness finally seeping off her face. The air between them seems to exhale in relief along with it. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have thrown him out the window. I regret it.”

Josie is surprised. She hadn’t expected Hope to give so easily. “You mean that?”

Hope’s eyes connect with hers and she tilts her chin up. “I’ve never lied to you.”

It’s strangely intense. They look at one another for a long moment, and then Josie takes a few steps closer. Hope follows suit. “You’ll have to apologise to him.” The other girl wrinkles her nose. “ _Hope_ …” Josie warns. 

“Yes, okay.” Hope bites out, staring at her feet.

“Okay.” Josie agrees, satisfied. Hope glances up hopefully, sensing the leniency in her tone. 

A weighted pause, and then they move at the same time, wrapping themselves around one another in a deep embrace. Josie’s hands clutch at Hope’s shoulder blades, pressing the girl’s face into her clavicle. She feels Hope’s exhale against her throat, her body deflating in her arms. Hope squeezes tight, almost too tight, around Josie’s neck, but she welcomes the reassurance, even if it makes her a little light headed.

The past week – ever since that fateful date night– full of intensity, avoidance and conflict seems to drain between them, and what’s left is the love they have for one another. 

“I’m sorry.” Josie mumbles into Hope’s hair. “I should have been there yesterday.”

Hope tenses in her arms. “It’s okay. You’re here now.”

Josie nods, swallowing, then steps back. Hope seems reluctant to let go, her fingers clinging to Josie’s sweater. “You should sleep. So no one else ends up going out the window.” Josie gently teases. 

Hope rolls her eyes. “You’re hilarious.” Then she bites her lip, her eyes darting to Josie and away again. “Will you stay?”

Josie’s chest warms. “Sure.” She kicks off her shoes, glancing towards the bed. “You want to lie down?”

Hope nods, oddly timid. Laughing silently, Josie leads the way, stretching out on Hope’s bed. As soon as she does so, exhaustion seems to settle within her. “God, I’m tired.”

Hope lies beside her. “Sleep then. There’s nothing you need to do right now.”

Technically, that’s not true. Josie could be checking up on Jed, tackling her school work, reaching out to her mom after yesterday’s blow out. Any number of things, really.

“No,” She says softly, stroking Hope’s hair back from her face as the girl’s eyes sink shut. “Nothing important.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter...the football game


	22. Chapter 22

Hope’s not sure what time it is when she wakes up, but it isn’t yet dark so she assumes the middle of the afternoon. 

She feels a gentle breath on the back of her neck and hums happily when she remembers that Josie is here with her. Sleeping during the day always makes her brain foggy, but now, as she rolls over to see her friend’s eyes are still shut, her left cheek a little smushed by the pillow, she’s content to lie within the fogginess.  
  


Josie’s brow is furrowed, even in her sleep, and Hope sighs, wondering what’s going on in her head. She reaches out with a finger to smooth across her forehead, watching as Josie’s eyelashes flutter, before tracing the finger down along the bridge of her nose and ever so gently around her lips. She relishes the feel of them: a little dry, but soft and pillowy. 

“Mmm.” Josie stirs a little, but doesn’t open her eyes. Hope smiles. God, she’s so happy to finally have Josie back by her side. The last week has been hell for her. 

Seized by a sudden desperation, she whispers earnestly: “Let’s never fight again, Jo.”

Eyes still shut, Jose’s mouth quirks in a tired smile. Hope thinks she’s mostly awake now. 

“I mean it.” She swallows, the next words weighing heavy in her throat. “I need you too much.”

Josie opens her eyes at that. They’re a little bleary, but there’s a clear surprise there. Hope can’t believe she admitted something like that; the combination of sleepiness and Josie disarming her. 

“I need you too.” Josie whispers. 

It settles some of the desperation within her, and Hope wraps her arms around Josie’s waist, pulling the girl closer. Josie lets her, tangling their legs together. 

“You’re my favourite person, you know that right?” Hope mumbles. “I can’t just go days without talking to you. What you did this week was cruel. You can’t do it again.” The wobble in her voice is embarrassing.

Josie nods, their noses brushing together. It’s not enough. Hope squeezes her. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” Josie’s voice is rough from sleep. 

“If you’re hurt, or confused or even if you hate me –” She inhales. “Jo, I’d rather you were shouting at me than ignoring me.”

“Okay. Okay, baby.” Josie seems to realise now that she’s a little worked up, and reaches with a hand to touch her cheek. “I won’t ignore you anymore.” 

Something tightens in Hope’s stomach at Josie’s careless, soft use of the word _baby_ . The other girl doesn’t even seem to realise that she’s used it, too busy stroking her face and mumbling reassurances. Hope finds her eyes caught on Josie’s lips. She wants to draw them into her own, erase any trace of Jed. She’s never liked seeing anyone with Josie because no one knew how to handle her with care. When she was dating Penelope, Hope hadn’t been close to her, but she could still see that the witch was too crass, and let her issues with Lizzie take hold. Even watching her with Landon had been difficult in more ways than one: by that point she _knew_ Josie, and could see that Landon wasn’t in tune with her, not the way that Hope was. 

“What?” Josie asks, aware now of how Hope is staring at her.

Freya once said to her that the world knows nothing more beautiful than two women whose souls have connected, and that it didn’t always have to be romantically. Hope thinks that’s what she feels with Josie. The urge to kiss her must come from the fact that she has no idea how else to express it. 

“Nothing.” She whispers, looking away. Considering how kissing Josie messed things up just a week ago, it’s an urge she needs to quell. Fast. 

Untangling their bodies, she glances at her bedside clock. “It’s two-thirty. We slept almost four hours.” 

“Damn.” Josie says, rubbing her face. “Felt like thirty minutes.” She sits up, and Hope chuckles at how crumpled her clothes are. Josie frowns, looking down at herself. “Shush. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sleep in jeans?”

“You could have borrowed something.”

“You didn’t offer.”

“You didn’t ask.” Hope shoots back, stretching like a cat. 

“Whatever. Get dressed.” 

Hope pauses mid stretch, frowning suspiciously. “Why?” Josie purposefully ignores her, busying herself with untangling her hair. “ _Why_ , Josie?”

“Because you and I have somewhere to be.”

“What?” Hope skips through her head, thinking of any possible engagements the two of them might have. “No we don’t.”

“You’re going to come with me to the infirmary, where you will apologise to Jed.”

Hope drops her arms. “You want to do that _now_?” Josie nods, picking up Hope’s deodorant and putting it on under her sweater. “I don’t want to.”

Josie sighs. “You promised, Hope.” 

“But...now?” Hope whines. She doesn’t want to see Jed. She wants to laze around with Josie all day, watching the sun change colour across her face. She wants to paint – Josie, preferably. More than anything she wants to block out everyone else for a while. 

“I want you to apologise while he’s still in the infirmary. Otherwise once he’s healed he’ll come after you looking for a fight.” 

Hope rolls her eyes. “I’m quaking.”

“You have enough enemies already without pointlessly creating new ones, Hope.” Josie’s voice is sharper now, her hands on her hips. 

Hope wants to argue that Jed doesn’t even qualify as an enemy, he’s so little of a threat, but she can feel another argument brewing which is the last thing either of them need. 

“Fine.” Josie’s posture relaxes. She averts her eyes while Hope dresses quickly in jeans and a warm sweater, and then the two head off towards the infirmary. 

“Jesus, it’s cold.” Josie complains, pulling her sleeves down over her fingers. 

Hope wraps an arm around her, rubbing up and down her side. “It’s almost December.”

“God, I can’t believe that. This semester feels like it’s gone crazy fast but also like so much has happened that it couldn’t have possibly all been in a single semester.”  
  


“I know what you mean.” Hope feels like that everyday. 

She tenses once they get to the infirmary, and lets Josie walk ahead of her to check if Jed’s awake. He is. 

Great.

“Hey,” Josie’s voice is irritatingly soft. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m getting there.” Jed’s tone matches Josie’s, albeit a little rough. “You didn’t need to check on me again.” 

“Well…” Josie begins. “I wanted to see how you were doing, but also…” She steps aside, revealing Hope behind her.

Hope watches as Jed’s face tightens, eyes flashing. “What the hell–”

“She wants to apologise!” Josie anxiously cuts him off.

“I don’t care.” Jed growls, struggling to sit up. Hope can tell he feels threatened, his wolf desperate not to be vulnerable. She lazily folds her arms, surveying him with an unimpressed expression.

“Please, Jed–” Josie starts.

“How could you forgive her so quickly?” There’s accusation and an undertone of hurt in Jed’s voice as he looks at Josie. She looks away.

“Because I understand that Hope wasn’t feeling in control of her emotions. She regrets it.” Jed snorts in disbelief. Josie glances at Hope, eyes pleading. 

Sighing, Hope steps forward. “I do...regret it.” She says through gritted teeth. “While you were being a little shit, I shouldn’t have chucked you out the window. You could have broken your neck.”

“You’re not seriously buying this?” Jed appeals to Josie. 

“Jed–”

“She’s insane and she’s got you wrapped around her finger!” Josie still won’t meet his eye. “Hey, look at me.” He grabs Josie’s jaw and turns her head to face him.

It takes Hope all of a second to have him pinned down on his bed by his throat, Josie pushed behind her. “You just keep touching her, see where it gets you.” She spits at him, applying more pressure. He wheezes, choking under the force of her grip.

“Hope!” Josie cries, pulling at her other arm. Of course it does little to budge her, but she steps back anyway, releasing Jed’s throat. Josie keeps a hold of her arm, clearly worried that she’ll leap at him again.

“You see–” Cough. “What–” Cough. “I mean?” Jed splutters. “Crazy!”

“You’re still alive aren’t you?” Hope snaps.

“Both of you, _stop_.” Josie yells. They do, immediately. “Hope,” She turns to her and Hope tenses. “Enough with the attacking. Why are you so worked up at the moment? You usually have better control than this.” Hope opens her mouth but Josie turns to Jed without waiting for a reply. “And _you._ Stop goading her. And stop acting like she’s the first to act on a violent impulse in this school. I seem to recall you beating Landon to a pulp earlier this year. You could have seriously injured him, even killed him with the right blow.” Jed looks down, suitably chastised. Hope grins internally.

Releasing Hope’s arm, Josie rubs at her temples. “We have too much on our plate right not to be fighting among ourselves. The portal is back open and we don't know why, or it’s location _or_ what the creatures want, and I have an hourglass full of black magic waiting to burst. All we can offer each other is balance – call each other out, of course, but also forgive. God knows we’re all capable of shit.”  
  


They leave a sulky Jed to rest, and Hope considers the confrontation a win. 

  
  


***

  
  


Through the weekend Hope mostly keeps to herself in her bedroom, except for mealtimes or study sessions which she spends with the twins. The sisters are taking some much needed quality time together as their relationship has become fractured recently. 

Walking through the school is a nightmare for Hope. As more students filter back in from their thanksgiving trips home, the gossip of her confrontation with Jed finds new life. She’s lost count of the number of people she’s snapped at to stop staring. 

By Saturday evening she can feel that familiar tension building up inside of her, so she does the only thing she can think of: paints.

The first large canvas she attacks with the colours of her grief and rage; colours of ash and sleet, the chilling blue of absence and the white of death. She’s always thought of white, rather than black, as death. Something to do with the pale hue of her mother’s face as she died before her. She dashes them across the page, swallowing down the images of her parents like shards of glass. This week she found herself thinking about them a lot, as she always does when she’s alone with nothing to preoccupy her. Her mind is a merciless place when she lets it be. 

Layer upon layer she paints, a colour for every death she’s caused, a colour for every murder she’s considered. It’s two hours before she steps back from the canvas, panting, and looks upon the darkest parts of herself. 

It’s cathartic, to let it all out. It lets the aching subside a little. She strips down and collapses into bed, sleeping until the early hours of the morning, where she wakes and goes to the forest to run. By 8am she’s painting again on a new canvas, barely giving herself time to breathe. 

This time she paints her power. The power that runs through every cell of her body: tingling, bubbling power that never subsides, never quietens. These are the colours of the forest; earthy, rich, dots of yellow for the bees that she hears as she runs, and heavy greys for the thunderclouds above. It’s the almost transparent blue of the lake she drinks from, and the startling lilac of the wildflowers that brush past her legs. It’s also the flickering yellow of a candle, the glowing red as hands touch, and the lure of darkness that always lingers in the corner of her thoughts like a shadow. 

She leaves it to dry and goes to eat lunch with the twins. Josie comments on the paint on her fingers with a smile, seeming pleased that Hope is creating again. It’s been a while since she’s painted properly. Of course she’s dabbled here and there, but nothing that felt _right_ until now. They spend the afternoon studying together, and every time Josie leans over her textbook to murmur something in Hope’s ear, she inhales the smell of jasmine and feels a certain peace.

It’s this peace that she takes to her final painting. She conjures the winding purples of jazz music; notes drifting in the air, tinged with a hint of mournful blue – the kind that always lingers in the city she longs for, echoed in her own core. She blends the sea-green of her father’s eyes with the hazel of her mother’s. Swirls and dances of amber and gold as she thinks of her family, royal colours that smoulder on the paper. A hazy pink for morning sunsets, dotted with blooms of orange and the inky black of birds stretching across the sky.

And then... just red, red, red. The kind of red that’s deep and bruising, sore and bitten. Red that’s wet and inviting, scorching and dry. Red that invites the heat beneath her skin when she wants, no... _needs_ something. 

Hope doesn’t even realise she’s painting lips until she steps back and sees them, bold in the middle of the painting, yet bathing in the other colours. It’s far from peace that she feels now. Her blood is unsettled. 

She hangs the three canvases, one after another, upon a wall that until now had remained bare. 

Grief and anger, power, love and desire. These are the things that govern her; all at once, in pairs and at times one taking control. Hope knows she needs them all, but she thinks about what Josie said earlier: _balance._ It’s all about balance. 

A knock on the door startles her. Too focused on her paintings, she hadn’t even heard anyone coming. 

It’s Josie, of course. “Hey, I just came to – oh wow. Those are incredible.” Josie stares over her shoulder, eyes wide. Hope steps back self consciously. She’s still wearing her painting clothes: baggy, stained jeans and one of her dad’s t-shirts that hangs off her body. Josie has caught her in a vulnerable state.

“Those are what you’ve been working on all weekend?” Josie steps into the room, staring up at them.

“Uh, yeah.”  
  


The other girl is quiet for a good long minute, examining the paintings. Hope starts to fidget, feeling a little nervous. But mostly she’s curious to see which one Josie is drawn to the most. 

Josie steps closer, her fingers fluttering over the middle one almost longingly before ultimately she turns to the first. Pain. Grief. _Anger_. 

“This one feels like me.” Josie mumbles. 

Hope is too surprised to say anything at first, and Josie doesn’t seem to notice, still watching the paintings. “Why?” Hope finally asks.

Josie shrugs, not turning around. “If you cracked me open I think those are the colours you’d find.”  
  


Hope moves closer, placing her hands delicately on Josie’s shoulders. “I don’t agree.” She whispers into Josie’s ear, watching goosebumps ripple across the skin of her neck. “ _This_ is you.” She turns Josie’s body to the last painting, feeling like she’s showing the girl her bleeding heart. 

Josie stares at it.

“What do you see?” Hope asks quietly.

There’s a pause. Then: “Um, warmth, I guess. Belonging. Passion.” Josie says each word with a tone of detachment. Like she couldn’t possibly reconcile those words with herself.

“ _You_.” Hope whispers fiercely. Josie starts to shake her head. “You were there behind every stroke.”

She hears Josie’s breath hitch. The room holds its breath. Neither girl seems to know what to do, so they stand frozen, like figures in a painting of their own. 

“You’ve got me wrong, Hope.” Josie eventually says, looking down. 

“Or maybe you just can’t see your own colours.” Hope replies, an edge to her tone. She hates when Josie hates herself. 

The other girl steps away from Hope’s hands, and they drop uselessly at her sides.

“I just came to bring you these.” Josie holds out what looks like a pile of photographs.

Still agitated by the previous conversation, Hope stares at them blankly. “They’re from the camping trip like a month ago. With the ogre.” Hope nods slowly. “Well, before the ogre appeared, Landon snapped a bunch of photos, you know how he likes to…” She trails off at Hope’s flat expression. “Look, I know. You don’t like him right now. But he gave them to me after the trip and I already have tonnes of pictures on my walls. I kept a few, but I thought you might want some for yours. I know you love the forest.”  
  


Hope takes them, even though the fact that _Landon_ took them makes her bristle. 

“I should get back. Lizzie wants to watch a movie so…” Josie’s eyes dart once more to the paintings, lingering upon the final one. Then she turns back. “Night, Hope.” She gives the girl a quick hug and is gone in a flash.

Hope sits down on her bed and starts to flick through the photos. Of course the first one is a picture of Jed, arms lifting up a large log, triumph on his face. “Urgh.” She tosses it to the ground with disgust.

The next is a photo clearly taken from the back of their walking line. She can make out Lizzie and MG at the front, followed by herself, then Jed and Raf, and finally the back of Josie’s head closest to the camera. “Meh.” She tosses that one too.

She decides to keep one of Lizzie half submerged in water at the bottom of a muddy slope, remembering that moment with gleeful fondness. She’s mildly impressed to see that Landon’s managed to catch the in-motion blur of MG’s figure rushing to save her.

There’s a sweet one of MG, grinning at the cooked sausage speared at the end of his stick. She keeps it. There’s one of Raf sat staring into the fire, a serious expression on his face. She relates to the captured moment as she often gets lost in her thoughts. The two of them are on better terms right now, though nowhere near as close as they once were. She keeps the photo. 

She flicks through a few others (including some of herself) until finding the Josie ones, which is what she really wanted all along: Josie pouting, soaked from the rain, her cheeks red from the cold; Josie laughing as she plaits Lizzie’s hair by the fire; Josie looking tired in the morning, her face a little puffy but gorgeous still the same, clutching a flask of coffee as she squints through the sun. Her favourite is one of herself and Josie walking out of the undergrowth together. They’re framed against the dark forest, the moon a glowing orb in the sky. Hope has an indulgent smile on her face as Josie grips her arm, staring reproachfully down at the slippery mud. She recognises it as the moment following their big talk, when they finally aired out their issues and became friends again. 

She runs her finger over the photo fondly, turning to pin it up right above her bed, the other Josie photos surrounding it. The ones of Raf, Lizzie and MG she puts underneath. 

She’s about to toss the other photos onto her desk when she notices one that she hadn’t before. Her stomach lurches. It’s her and Landon. She’s perched upon his lap as he grins at whoever he’s given the camera to. Hope isn’t looking at the camera, instead staring out at the trees. It’s shocking to see herself with him during a time that already feels so long ago. Their problems hadn’t really started yet, she still thought that Landon was what she needed. But now she can see she’s stiff in his lap, unfocused and unaware that any photo is even being taken. 

Why did Landon give this photo to Josie? Why did Josie give it to her? It must have been by mistake. 

Feeling a bitter taste in her mouth, Hope puts the photo face down on her desk and goes to bed.

  
  


***

  
  


“I am _so_ ready to kick some Mystic High ass today.” Lizzie crows as she jogs up and down on the spot beside her. It’s game day and Hope is over it already. “I missed out last time, so catch me going extra hard this match.” 

“Great.” Hope yawns. “Does that mean I don’t have to play?”

Lizzie rolls her eyes as she stretches her arms. “Where’s your spirit? Your _aggression_? God knows you have it in every other aspect of your life.”

Hope glares at her. “I don’t care enough about a stupid flag football game.” Her eyes wander over to where Caroline is chatting to Alaric. “Hey, Liz, did something happen between Josie and your mom? I noticed Jo hasn’t really spoken to her since she turned up.”

Aforementioned girl is over by the water stand doing a goofy dance with MG. Hope’s mouth twitches as she watches. 

“You’ll have to ask her about that.” 

She glances back at Lizzie. “What? Come on, you really won’t tell me?”

“All I’ll say is yes, something happened after you left and Josie came back up to the apartment, but like I said, I’m not spilling those beans. Josie and I are finally on good terms, I’m not screwing it up.”  
  


“Fine.” Hope huffs. “I’m sure she’ll tell me.” 

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “So you two sorted out your issues? It’s all okay now?”  
  


“Of course.”

“What do you mean _of course_? God, I can barely keep up with the drama.” Lizzie throws her hands up. “Back and forth, back and forth. Hating each other one second, loving each other the next.” She shakes her head. “Must be a lesbian thing to be so intense all the time.”

“Excuse me?” Hope stares at her. “A lesbian thing?”

“Oh come off it, you think there’s no lesbian undertones to your relationship?” Lizzie asks incredulously.

“No.” Hope says shortly.

“Liar.”

“Josie and I get each other. It’s a special bond but it’s not romantic.”

“Riiight.” Lizzie raises an eyebrow. 

“It’s not. You’re just jealous.”

“I am. Because you insist on taking her from me. But part of me being a better sister to Josie is trying not to let my issues with your–” She gestures with her hands. “– _thing_ affect our bond.”

Hope scoffs and takes a sip from her water bottle. “ _What_?” She snaps over the rim when Lizzie continues to stare pointedly at her.

“Just can’t believe how deluded you are.”

“What happened to _read my lips, the two of you are never happening_.” Hope mimics Lizzie’s words from many weeks back. 

“I still stand by that. You two in a relationship would be _hell_.” Lizzie shivers. “Doesn’t mean I can’t tell that you have a big fat lesbian crush on my dearest sister.”

“I _don’t._ ” She can’t.

“Fine. Answer me this: which is hotter? Josie in those shorts, or Raf when he plays basketball shirtless?”  
  


Hope glances over to Josie as the girl begins to stretch, her shorts rising to reveal even more of her slim legs. She feels herself blush lightly, and quickly turns back to meet Lizzie’s smug grin. “Fuck off.” 

“Good answer, Hope.” Hope begins to walk away. “Not at all gay!” Lizzie calls after her.

Grumbling to herself, Hope goes to fill up her water bottle just to have something to do. There is nothing _gay_ about her and Josie. Why couldn’t two girls ever be close without people assuming things? Some bonds transcend the sexual, and have more meaning because of it.

She jumps slightly when she feels soft arms encircle her from behind. “Hey you.” Josie breathes. Hope’s stomach swoops at the sound of her voice. “You ready to play? I’m gonna kick that bitch Maya’s ass this time. She’s gonna regret what she did to me.” Her voice is low and dark, and oddly appealing to Hope. Josie squeezes her. “So I’m going to need to borrow some of your power, kay?” The sweetness is back in her voice. Hope just nods, slightly dazed by everything that’s occurred in the past five minutes.

There is nothing gay about her and Josie.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> game NEXT chapter, sorry this one got a little long.
> 
> Twitter: space_inmyhead


	23. Chapter 23

“Wait–” Hope snaps out of her thoughts. “What did you just say?” She turns around in Josie’s arms. “Don’t go starting anything with Maya.”

Josie steps back, folding her arms. “Why not?” There’s a petulant tone to her voice.

“Last time you got angry on the pitch, you broke Ethan’s arm.” Hope says carefully. “I’m not saying that you’ll do that, but–”

“She _repeatedly_ attacked me.” Josie cuts her off. “She pushed my face in the mud! And you’re defending her?” 

“In case you’ve forgotten, it was _you_ I defended last time.” Hope points out. “But that doesn’t mean I want you to hurt Maya. She’s my friend.”

Josie’s eyes darken and she drops her arms. “Your _friend_? I’m sorry, didn’t you know her for like a week? And now you’re prioritising her over me?”

“It was more like six weeks actually, and don’t be ridiculous.”  
  


“ _Ridiculous?_ ” Her eyebrows are raised now and Hope sighs.

“Jo. Come on. She’s human! You can give her a push but I’m not going to let you do any magic.”

“You're not going to let me?” Josie scoffs. “And how exactly do you plan on stopping me?” 

Hope steps into Josie’s space, fixing her gaze upon her. “I think you know that I wouldn’t have any trouble with that.” Josie’s throat contracts in a swallow. Hope lifts a hand and slowly tucks a strand of hair behind the younger girl’s ear. “You’re talented, Jo, but you’re no match for me.”  
  


Josie raises her chin slightly, meeting Hope’s eyes, but doesn’t argue any further. For now. 

The girls are broken out of their moment by the arrival of the Mystic Falls school bus. 

“Game time.” Josie says, raising an eyebrow and turning away from her. She walks over to the rest of their team and Hope watches her go with an unsettled feeling in her stomach. 

“Hey, Mikaelson.” Maya greets Hope with a playful smirk, making her way over as soon as she’s off the bus. 

“Hi.” Hope smiles and they hug. It’s a tighter one than expected as Maya seems to cling to Hope, a hint of desperation about her. 

“You good?” Hope chuckles a little unsurely. Her gaze slides over Maya’s shoulder to where Josie stands watching them stonily. The other girl looks away once Hope meets her eye, turning to talk to MG. 

Maya exhales and steps back quickly. “Yeah, sorry. Just missed you.”

A pleased warmth blooms in Hope’s chest. She feels guilty for not having phoned Maya since the last game when she promised she would. “I missed you too. Sorry I’m useless at keeping in contact. How have you been?”

Maya’s face becomes overcast. She looks down. “It’s been a... _strange_ couple of weeks.” 

Hope is concerned by the despondency in her voice. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Maya glances around. The teams are gathering on the pitch. “Not here. Can we meet for coffee sometime this week?” 

“Of course.” Hope nods. “How’s tomorrow – 4ish?” 

“Sounds good.” The referee blows his whistle, signalling that the game is soon to start. The girls smile weakly at each other before jogging over to their respective positions. 

Josie pointedly ignores Hope when she reaches her. Hope sighs. _So she’s being a brat about this._

In the corner of her eye Hope notices Ethan waving from the sidelines where he stands with his mom. The poor guy’s arm is still in a cast. She waves back, trying to keep the guilt out of her expression. At least it’s just a broken arm, she reasons. Clarke could have got Josie to do a lot worse. 

Raf has joined the team this year. He’s the first wolf to do so as wolves don’t do well with being part of something that isn’t their own pack. Landon is standing beside him, shoulders hunched and eyes watching the ground as he attempts to avoid both Hope and Josie. Hope knew he hated football and would rather not play, but Dr Saltzman had told their group it was mandatory. He seemed to believe that after the arguments on Thanksgiving, playing as a team was exactly what they needed to get back on track.

Alaric Saltzman was all about smoothing over cracks without treating the source of the fractures.

The morning meeting had been strange for a number of reasons, one being Caroline’s attendance. The presence of the blonde vampire had caused a ripple of murmuring across the students, some of whom had never seen her before. 

“It’s gratifying to be standing before so many promising students.” Caroline had begun, taking Dr Saltzman’s spot once he had made his announcements. “This school means a lot to me, and I wish I could be here more.” 

She surveyed their faces, a regality and composure in her expression. 

“Unfortunately, pressing concerns have kept me away. But I know that here you have been facing issues of your own, and I commend you all for adjusting constantly to what has been a rocky year. I also know that the dangers are far from dealt with–” Alaric folded his arms, staring down at his feet awkwardly. “–which is why it is my belief that right now, here is where I need to be.”

_That_ caused an influx of whispers, and Hope heard Josie inhale sharply beside her. 

“For the sake of the school, its students and, of course, my daughters.” Caroline was staring right at Josie, who looked back, her face cluttered with conflicting emotions. 

As Josie and Maya stand face to face, ready to flip the coin, Hope shoots another glance at the twins’ mother. She’s watching intently, mouth pressed in a thin line. Hope gets the impression that Caroline isn’t here for the game.

“Ready to lose again, Saltzman?” Maya smirks.

“I wasn’t even trying last time.” Josie snaps. 

“Is that what you told yourself after I humiliated you?” Maya asks, mischief dancing in her eyes. “How’d that mud taste?”

Hope watches worriedly as Josie straightens up, smiling sharply. “I wouldn’t get cocky if I were you.” She says sweetly, before glancing over Maya’s shoulder. The girl follows her line of sight to where Ethan stands, chatting. “Didn’t go too well for your brother.”

All the humour drips off Maya’s face, leaving a clear, burning rage. “Say that again, I dare you–” She spits but the ref cuts her off. 

“Okay ladies! Someone call it in the air.” 

He flips the coin and Josie calls out “Tails”, a smug smile on her face. It’s tails. Maya steps back, clenching her jaw.

“Jo–” Hope catches Josie’s hand. “What are you doing?”

Josie rolls her eyes. “Relax Hope. It’s just banter with your bestie.” 

“Banter...” Hope raises an eyebrow. “Seems more like you're looking for a fight. I told you to leave Maya–”

“Get in position, Hope. We don’t have time for this.” Josie cuts her off, her tone irritated. Hope’s mouth snaps shut in disbelief. The _cheek_!

The other girl walks away without another word. As Hope scowls at Josie’s back, Lizzie catches her eye. 

“Lesbian drama!” The blonde twins mouths. 

Hope holds up a middle finger.

***

The game is intense from the get-go. Mystic Falls clearly came to win, as they always do, and under Maya’s direction they’re playing hard and fast. At first, the Salvatore school aren’t quite matching their energy, as certain players (MG and Landon) don’t understand the urgency. Josie cusses them out vividly ten minutes in, after Landon fumbles a ball and MG gets distracted grinning at Lizzie. After that, they don’t dare take their eye off the game. 

They’re not a bad team, actually. Even without the use of magic – which Dr Saltzman and Caroline had made _very_ clear wasn’t allowed – they all have their strengths. Well, except Landon. 

Kaleb had always played football, even before becoming a vampire, and combined with the natural athleticism of Raf, and MG’s speed and agility, they make a foreboding attacking line. Josie isn’t particularly strong, but she’s much more coordinated than she used to be and slips past people like an eel. Hope barely remembers the rules but can definitely throw a ball far, and Lizzie is their strategist – she knows the game inside out and it shows.

By half time they’re pretty much neck and neck with Mystic Falls. Their kits are filthy, and the twins and Landon are gasping for breath. It’s bitterly cold outside but no one is feeling it right now.

Maya and Josie have been at each other like two cats; Josie is sporting a scratch down her arm and Hope suspects Maya has a nasty bruise on her side from one of Josie’s sharp elbows. Their exchange of insults is also heating up, each one more vicious than the last. Josie delivers them all with the same low, faux-sweet tone of voice and Maya lashes back with increasing agitation.

Hope cautiously approaches Josie with a bottle of water. “Here, you look like you need it.” Josie is flushed from her face down to her chest, strands of her hair blowing free in the wind. Hope actually kind of likes the wildness of her appearance, and catches herself taking a second glance. Josie is often so carefully put together, it’s nice to see her a little ruffled. 

The other girl snatches the bottle from Hope’s hand and drinks from it messily. Her lips are wet when she finally lowers it and Hope eyes them, hand twitching for her paintbrush.

They stand silently for a few moments. Hope is miffed about Josie’s attitude towards her and Josie is obviously still worked up from the game and Hope’s consistent defence of Maya.

“You’re going to get yourself punched.” Hope finally breaks the silence. 

“Good.” Josie immediately snaps back. “Then maybe you’ll realise what a bitch she is.”

Hope shakes her head. “Maybe you should step off for the second half. Wade’s been dying to come on.”

Josie turns wide eyes on her. “Are you kidding me? No way. He’ll lose us the game! And I’m not giving _her_ the satisfaction.”

“Wade isn’t that bad…”

“Then swap him with Landon, god knows he’s as useful as a bag of potatoes on the pitch.” 

Hope raises an eyebrow. Josie is certainly fired up over this game. “Bit harsh to speak like that about the boy you’re in love with.” Hope knows she’s treading on dangerous territory.

Josie narrows her eyes. “I’ve never said that.” 

“You still haven’t said otherwise.” Hope shoots back. She can’t help herself. It’s been on her mind since Thanksgiving.

Josie shakes her head. “I’m not having this conversation with you right now. We have a game to win.” 

“God, _fuck_ the game!” Hope snarls. Josie ignores her, walking away to take her position.

***

They end up winning, and believe it or not, it’s _Landon_ who scores the final touchdown with 30 seconds left. It’s complete luck of course, he’s just in the right place at the right time, but that doesn’t matter to Josie who squeals in happiness and throws herself at him. 

He stumbles slightly with the force of her jump, clearly surprised. He recovers quickly, spinning her around. It’s the first time Hope’s seen him smile all day. The rest of the team, bar Hope, pile in on the hug.

The Mystic Falls team look put out and extremely disappointed, but mostly like they just want to go home. There’s a shared sense of exhaustion in the air. Some are already making their way to the bus.

Hope can’t seem to spot Maya though. 

Josie and Lizzie are doing a twin coordinated celebratory dance when, moving like a blur, Maya comes out of nowhere and tackles Josie to the ground. 

“Fuck you, you stupid ass, chubby cheeked bitch.” Josie hits the grass hard, her head smacking into the icy mud and Hope literally feels her heart shudder. 

Lizzie lets out a piercing shriek and immediately starts to try and pull Maya off of her sister. The dark haired girl delivers a harsh smack to Josie’s cheek and goes for another but Hope is there, catching her hand in a vice grip. Caroline reaches the fight at the same time, grabbing Maya’s upper body and swinging her away from Josie. 

“Jo! Jo, are you okay?” Lizzie chokes out, kneeling beside her sister. Josie looks beyond dazed, her face pale aside from the inflamed handprint on her right cheek. She’s conscious though.

“You’re okay, Jo.” Hope mumbles, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. She slides a gentle hand under Josie’s head and elevates it slightly. “Do you feel dizzy?”

Josie goes to nod but closes her eyes in pain at the movement. 

“Okay.” Hope glances around to see Caroline and Alaric with a still wild looking Maya. The Sheriff and Ethan have joined them, looking horrified by her actions as they attempt to calm her down. Caroline catches Hope’s eye.

“Take her to first aid. Carefully.” The woman orders firmly.

Hope nods, picking up Josie as delicately as one might balance a sheet of ice upon their fingertips. 

“I want to come.” She hadn’t even noticed Landon standing by her shoulder. 

“That’s not necessary.” Hope dismisses him. She starts to walk away with Lizzie, who clutches Josie’s hand in hers. Landon follows.

“I care about her too.”

Gritting her teeth, Hope tries to keep her voice even as she addresses her ex-boyfriend. “I’m aware of that, Landon. But Josie will be fine, she probably just has a concussion.”  
  


“I’m still coming.” He says firmly. When Hope opens her mouth he cuts her off before she can speak. “I’ll leave once I know she’s okay.”

Hope is too distracted to argue with him right now, so they walk in silence. Occasionally Lizzie murmurs something to Josie in an attempt to keep her awake. The girl is like a dead weight in her arms, blinking blearily, and it has Hope’s stomach tense with stress. It’s moments like this where the twisted part of mind whispers that she should turn Josie, make her a heretic so she’s no longer so terrifyingly fragile. 

The nurse checks Josie over, flashing a light in her eyes, probing her with questions and feeling around her head. Josie pouts and whimpers when she reaches a spot on her crown. “You’re going to get a nasty bump there.” The nurse confirms. “Once it emerges it’ll be easier to treat with some magical balms. For now, we’ll stick with the human classic: ice. Never fails.” She hands Josie an ice pack to hold to her head.

“Is she concussed?” Lizzie asks.

“Mildly. There’s no vomiting and she can converse normally which is a good sign.”

“Can I sleep?” Josie mumbles. “I feel so tired.” 

“If you can walk in a straight line, yes you may sleep. Rest is the best thing for you.” 

Josie nods, shakily sitting up and sliding her legs off the bed. Hope hovers near her just in case she loses her balance. She manages to walk okay, if a little wobbly, and the tribrid’s body exhales in relief.

The nurse seems pleased. “Okay, sweetheart. Take these painkillers and then you can get some sleep.” 

“Can’t she just have some of my blood?” Hope asks, eyeing the pills derisively. 

Josie huffs. “I don’t need a Hope milkshake everytime I so much as graze my knee.” 

Hope grits her teeth but chooses not to argue with her concussed friend, despite how infuriating she is.

Josie receives the pills and water gratefully, gulping them down before practically collapsing into bed. She’s gone within the minute, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. 

“Will she ever stop being so opposed to blood drinking?” Hope sighs, addressing Lizzie.

“She hates the taste, but I also think it’s something strange to do with owning her pain.” Lizzie remarks hesitantly. “That’s the sense I get anyway.”  
  


Hope is impressed by her perceptiveness. “I think you might be right.”

“I can’t believe Maya did that to her. Like, obviously she hates Josie, but it was just so… violent.”

Hope nods, feeling sick all over again as she remembers the sight of Josie’s head hitting the ground. “Yeah, I was supposed to meet her tomorrow for coffee, but now I’m not sure what I might do if I see her again.” 

“She better not show her face at the next game.” Lizzie bites.

“You know what it reminded me of?” Landon’s voice pops up, surprising both girls. Hope had forgotten he was there, lingering in the background. They turn to stare at him and he rubs his hands nervously at the sudden attention. “Just after Cassie died, this guy at school who always used to hit on her, even though he knew she was in a relationship with Raf, bumped into him in the hallway. Raf just started whaling on him, like a mad-man. Seriously, he dislocated his jaw, broke his nose. Took five guys to pull him off. The only reason they didn’t expel him was because he was grieving, but he got suspended. We go home and he’s still fuming, even tossed a lawnmower through the patio doors.”

Lizzie looks at her, the same dread that Hope feels mirrored on her face. “You don’t think…?”

“Possibly. I guess I’m going to have to go for that coffee after all.”

Lizzie nods stiffly. “I guess so.”

***

Shortly after that, Lizzie leaves to fetch Josie some clean clothes and a sandwich for when she wakes up.

As soon as she’s gone, the atmosphere in the room tightens, morphing into something tense and expectant. 

Hope ignores Landon, choosing instead to sit down beside Josie. Without Lizzie’s watchful eye, she can be as attentive as she wants: smoothing the hair out of Josie’s face, stroking her cheek, pulling the blanket up to her chin. 

She feels jittery, unable to take her hands off of the girl. It’s the same way she felt after Josie was attacked by the Ogre – though that was much worse – like her body just won’t settle. 

“Hope, she’s okay.” Landon murmurs gently. He’s pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed.

“I know.” She picks up one of Josie’s hands, intertwining their fingers.

“The nurse said it was mild–”

“I _know_.”

He shuts up. 

They both watch Josie as she sleeps, unaware of either of their gazes. There’s a comforting isolation within the infirmary; only one other patient asleep on the far end of the room. 

“I need to apologise, Hope.” Landon breaks the quiet, turning his eyes to Hope. She straightens up in her seat, stomach churning.

“I’ve been a coward.” He begins, looking ashamed. “There are so many things that I wish could have gone differently between us. I’ve spent a lot of time these past few days thinking about the different futures we could have, the different endings. All I know for sure, is that you didn’t get the ending you deserved.” 

His eyes are a sad, pale green, curtained by dark eyelashes. He looks worn down and older suddenly, as though even in sleep he hasn’t really rested. She doesn’t blame her past self for falling for him, there was always something appealing about the openness of his emotion (until that emotion was directed elsewhere). For a girl who hid everything, it was what she needed. Then. 

But nothing about Landon challenges her anymore. In fact, the only thing that ever challenged her was what he _wanted_ from her: the same openness, trust, and ease of loving that he would give. She knows now that those things can never be forced.

“When did you stop loving me?” She squeezes Josie’s hand, hating herself for asking such a pathetic question.

Landon sits back, looking a little startled, but his face soon smooths out. He seems to consider her for a long moment. “I could ask you the same thing.”

She nods. “Fair enough. Do you really want the answer to that?” 

He hesitates. “No. Actually...yes.” His knee bounces anxiously. 

Hope thinks about it. Like really, truly thinks about it. “I don’t think that love just vanishes one day. But it does change. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt this year, it’s that love is never static.” She glances at Josie who sighs in her sleep. “It evolves as we do.”

Landon nods slowly, face clouded with sorrow. 

“I meant what I said at Thanksgiving.” Hope continues. “Everything changed while I was in Malivore. You evolved over the summer, as did your relationship with Josie. We tried to pretend that we could just wipe it away, like an alternate reality that had been corrected. But those things _happened._ The feelings you felt for Josie were real.”

She looks at Landon and is surprised to see him crying silently. “Landon?”

“I tried, Hope. I really did try. You were the first girl I ever loved, and I really did love you–” He sucks in air between his teeth. “I spent the majority of my life thinking no one would ever care about me. That I was utterly insignificant. Bouncing from group homes to foster care and back. It wasn’t until I met Raf and actually settled in one place for a little while that I got any kind of... stability. But Hope–” His eyes plead with her. “ _You_ gave me more than I ever thought I’d have. You have no idea how grateful I am for even getting a sliver of your love.” 

Hope’s eyes ache as she blinks back tears. Never has she seen this rawness from Landon. 

“I’m so sorry for losing sight of that. I’m sorry that you spent all those months alone. And I’m sorry for falling in love with someone else, but I just love her–” He’s sobbing now. “I love her.” 

“Hey–” Her voice is soft and she’s there as Landon falls forward, his elbows on the bed, his head in his hands. Leaning awkwardly across Josie’s body, she comforts him, stroking up and down his arms. She can still faintly hear him whispering the words, captured and muffled by his hands: _I love her, I love her, I love her…_

It causes a lump in her throat that she doesn’t wish to identify. But it lodges there all the same; painfully, furiously, and though she swallows and swallows, it remains.

  
  



	24. Chapter 24

It’s 4pm and already getting dark when Hope arrives at the coffee shop, blinking away the drizzly rain from her eyes. 

She’s chosen to meet Maya in a run-down cafe that she frequented a lot the summer following her parent’s death, when she couldn’t bear to be in New Orleans a second longer. It’s hidden away, the kind of place that would be missed in the brief swoop of a person’s gaze. She used to sit for hours and watercolour paint, focusing on the faces of others so her parents’ might fade away.

Through the dirty window she can see Maya already sitting down nursing a cup of coffee. She’s still wearing a puffer jacket and a scarf wrapped around her neck, like she’s ready to get up and leave at any moment. The bell chimes as Hope walks in and the girl’s eyes are on her instantly, widening in surprise.

She tracks Hope’s movements right up until she reaches the table.“I didn’t think you’d come.” She says, warily looking up at her. “I was shocked last night when you called – honestly I thought you were never going to speak to me again.”

Hope takes off her coat in favour of replying, so Maya rambles on. “And then I thought this might be some kind of set up, like an ambush.” She laughs nervously. “Which I’m still not entirely convinced it isn’t.” 

“It isn’t.” Hope speaks finally.

Maya nods, taking a sip of her coffee, eyes darting to Hope’s face and back. “Josie… is she okay?”

“She’s okay. Had a mild concussion yesterday but today she was feeling better.”

Maya swallows roughly. “I’m so sorry, Hope. I swear, I don’t know what came over me–”

“How about you start with what’s been happening these past couple of weeks?” 

Maya looks nervous but jerks her head in agreement.

A waitress comes over and Hope orders a cappuccino, which the woman notes down with a short nod. Another thing Hope likes about this place: no false niceties.

“Okaay.” Maya says tremulously once she’s gone. “You have to promise not to judge me, and swear that you’ll keep what I’m about to tell you a secret.”

“Trust me, I’m in no position to judge anyone. And I can keep a secret.”

Maya nods and waits for the waitress to bring Hope her coffee before beginning. “A couple of weeks ago I went clubbing with this girl I’d been seeing. We had fake IDs, there was a whole group of us, it was a fun night.” 

Hope listens carefully without commenting. 

“Anyway the girl, Amanda, was feeling tired so we left a little early. The streets were pretty deserted – you know what it’s like here – and we thought we’d walk a little while before calling a cab. I _know_ , stupid…” She says when Hope raises an eyebrow. “But I was feeling super drunk and wanted some air, and it was a nice evening…” She trails off. 

“So we’re walking and this guy appears out of nowhere, catcalling us, coming closer and closer. We tried to ignore him, walking faster, but he stepped in front of us.” Maya exhales shakily. “I could tell Mandy was getting really scared, so I told him to fuck off, and then I told him my mom was the Sheriff. I don’t think he believed me.” She’s staring down at her coffee, eyes vacant as she loses herself in the memory. “He sort of lunged for Mandy, I guess he was trying to grope her? Kiss her? I don’t know. I panicked. Used this trick my mom taught me where I hooked a foot behind his ankle and shoved really hard – it was just supposed to trip him so we could run.” 

She closes her eyes to say the last part. “I guess we were closer to the road than I thought. He fell backwards just as a car was going by – speeding, definitely – and it just–” Maya’s voice becomes thick. “– it just smacked right into him, like, I swear I heard his skull crunch.” 

She sobs and then covers her mouth in shock. Hope guesses this is the first time she’s spoken the words out loud. She reaches across and squeezes Maya’s hand, feeling an immense sympathy for the girl. 

“We ran. I don’t think anyone saw us – it’s been reported as just a drunk accident. Mandy swore she would keep quiet but she won’t speak to me anymore so I have no idea where her head’s at…”  
  


Hope just lets Maya cry these soft, choking sobs that she tries to keep muffled. “Your mom has no idea?”  
  


“No of course not, I haven’t even told Ethan, though obviously he notices that something’s up with me.”

Hope offers her the napkin that came with her coffee and Maya clumsily dabs at her eyes. She gives the girl time to calm and drink the rest of her coffee.

“I just feel so guilty.” Maya says eventually, voice strained with exhaustion. “I don’t know how to handle it.”

Hope nods. “I know how you feel. It isn’t easy.”

The other girl lets out a wet chuckle. “Unless you’ve accidentally killed someone, I doubt that you do.” 

Hope keeps quiet, aware that now is not the time to get into _that_. 

Maya is staring at her. “How are you so calm about everything I’m telling you?” She asks, bewildered.

“It was an accident.” Hope replies. “Tell me what happened with Josie.” 

Maya is tearing up the napkin into little pieces. “This is going to sound like an excuse, but recently I find it hard to control my emotions. Maybe it’s a guilt thing and I’m looking for other people to blame, but since the accident, I’m just so...angry. I’ve always had a bit of a temper,” She admits. “It’s why everyone prefers Ethan, he’s so chill. But this is more than that. I didn’t even mean to knock into Josie so hard! I swear, it’s like I’ve been intensely hitting the gym – I have all the testosterone and muscles to go with it.”

It lines up, word for word, as if Maya is reading from the werewolf manual. Hope sits back in her chair, considering her options. Maya is staring at her as if waiting for condemnation. 

“I know how to help you. But you have to come back to the school with me.”

Maya wrinkles her nose. It’s kind of endearing. “The Salvatore school? Why?”

“It will make sense soon. All of it. I promise.”

***

“So that’s what we think you might be.” Alaric finishes explaining.“A Werewolf.”

There’s a weighted pause as he, Hope and Caroline all look at Maya apprehensively. She listened silently the entire time Alaric was speaking, hardly even blinking. 

Now she turns to Hope. “I thought things were cool between us. I thought you understood that what happened to Josie was a _mistake_ –”

“What?” Hope startles. 

“I thought that maybe you were going to bring me to some kind of counsellor! That maybe this school had the funding for that, ‘cause god knows our school doesn’t–”

“Maya, I know it’s a lot to take in–” Hope tries to speak but the other girl cuts her off.

“After everything I told you, you still play some lame practical joke on me?” Maya’s voice shakes with her perceived betrayal. 

“Maya, let’s talk some more–” Caroline says diplomatically. 

“No. I’m leaving.” 

She makes it to the door, wrenching it open, and Hope does the only thing she can think of on the spot.

BANG. The door shuts, quivering in its frame. “What the–” Maya exclaims. She pulls at it again, only for the handle to slip allusively from her fingers, slamming closed a second time. “This isn’t funny!” She swings around to stare at them, looking scared now. Her eyes latch on to Hope, pleading for reprieve.

Hope approaches her slowly. “It’s not a joke. That door is closing because I am making it close.”  
  


“No, no, no, enough–” Maya squeezes her eyes shut.

“Maya. Look at me.” She does. Hope whispers _ignalusa_ and a thrumming ball of fire expands in her hand. Maya’s eyes widen until the whites of them swallow the brown. Hope relaxes her fingers and the flames are quelled. The other girl seems shell shocked.

“Hope.” Caroline says gently. “Why don’t you take Maya to your room, give her some time to take this all in, ask any questions she may have?”

Hope nods.

“But bring her back later.” Alaric orders. “We still have things to discuss.”  
  


***

  
  


Maya seems to ground herself a bit once she’s in Hope’s bedroom, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“So, this is the mysterious Hope Mikaelson’s bedroom.” She wanders around, eyes trailing across the framed photos of New Orleans skylines above her window, taken and sent to Hope by a well known photographer she’d been friends with for years. She glances at the small plant Josie gave her that Hope’s been struggling to keep alive (it’s drooping badly), her little wooden bookshelf, her incense, her scattered textbooks and drawings, and finally the three paintings she did at the weekend. These she examines with raised eyebrows before turning back to face Hope.

“It’s much… artsier than I expected.” Maya concludes. 

Hope huffs out a laugh. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know– leather jackets and a box of weapons? Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“Well, I do own one leather jacket, and–” Hope crosses the room to where a chest sits. She heaves open the lid. “Here are my weapons.”

There’s a pause and then Maya cackles with laughter. “God,” She says, slumping down on Hope’s bed. “I can’t believe this is all real.” She stares at Hope a little wildly. “So you’re a witch?”

“Well, actually…” Hope hesitates. “I’m also a werewolf. And technically, though I haven’t activated that side of me yet, a vampire.”

Maya’s mouth opens and closes. “ _Activated?_ What are you, Spider-woman?”

Hope shakes her head. “I’m far from a superhero, trust me.” She sits down beside Maya. “I _am_ the only one of my kind though, everyone else here is one of the three.”   
  


“So this whole… _supernatural_ world has existed alongside humans for how long?” 

And so Hope explains it all: how her dad was one of the first, her life in New Orleans, the tensions between the different species. The death of so much of her family. Even Malivore. She fills in all the gaps that Alaric left. There’s an ease with Maya that she doesn’t experience often, that she felt from the moment she met her. 

Once she’s finished she notices that the girl is regarding her oddly. “What?”

“I just don't get how you’re not batshit crazy. I would be after going through all of... _that_.”

The image of Jed free falling from his bedroom window flickers behind her eyelids. “I have my moments.”  
  


“Well it’s nice to understand now why you suddenly switched schools, and why there was all that strange tension between you, Landon and Josie at the first game.” Maya remarks. “How _are_ you and Landon going, by the way?” 

“Oh, uh, not great. We broke up.”

Maya pulls a sympathetic face. “Ah sorry babe, didn’t mean to rub salt in a wound.”

Hope waves her off. “You didn’t. It had to happen. He’s in love with Josie.”

At the mention of the other girl’s name Maya’s face darkens and she rolls her eyes. “God, really? But you’re much hotter.”

Hope laughs at the blatant outrage in her voice. “Not true. But either way, it’s not a competition.”

“ _Yes_ true, and like hell it isn’t!”

“Seriously, Maya. Josie’s one of the most important people in my life, not a rival. And anyway, I doubt it was ever about who was hotter.”

“So it was her shining personality then?” Maya’s voice is dripping in sarcasm. “Sorry, sorry.” She says when she sees Hope’s stern look. “I’ll reign it in. So are they like, gonna date again now?”

Hope hides the inner turmoil that question creates, her face a smooth blanket of indifference. “I’m not sure.”

“I’m sensing this topic is not a favourite of yours.” Maya teases gently and Hope rolls her eyes, smiling. “I’ll shut up about it.” She hums, eyes looking around the room again. It’s peaceful for a moment and Hope yawns, thinking about what’s for dinner. Then Maya’s face pinches slightly, as if hit by a sudden thought.

“What?” Hope asks, confused by her expression.

“What _is_ Josie? Supernaturally?”

“She’s a witch.”

Maya nods slowly. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Maya sucks in a breath. “Did she do something to Ethan in that game?”

Hope swallows. It’s the question she prayed wouldn’t come up. Her hesitation says it all.

“I _knew_ it.” Maya practically growls. “I saw that bitch muttering things and thought she was just loopy but then seconds after Ethan was on the ground, screaming. Even though she wasn’t close to him I _felt_ in my gut that she had something to do with it.”

She’s standing up now, fists clenching and unclenching, breathing heavily. Hope stands up too, cautiously approaching her. 

“She wasn’t in her right mind at that time, Maya. She was being manipulated by this awful man who was disguising himself as the school’s headmaster.”

“He had her under a spell, or curse or whatever the fuck you call it?”

“Well...not exactly. But he had her doing black magic–”

“But it was her own free will?”

Hope exhales a short, stressed breath. “Technically. But it’s more complicated than that.”

“I don’t see how. She chose to shatter my brother’s arm!”

“Oh come on.” Hope is a little fed up now. “It was a clean break. Ethan will be out of that cast by Christmas.”

“And that makes it okay?”

“Were we not just discussing you killing someone earlier today?” 

Silence. Maya’s eyes seem to expand with hurt, her mouth drooping. Hope knows it’s a low blow but she can’t help it when it comes to Josie.

“Wow.” Maya looks away. “Didn’t take you long to use that against me.”

“I’m not–” Hope breathes in, then releases. “I’m not using it against you. I wouldn’t do that. But one thing you have to understand about the supernatural world is that just like the human one, it’s brimming with darkness and malintention. It doesn’t take much to start slipping into the wrong habits.” She reaches out to touch Maya’s arm. “I don’t want to fight. This has been a long day for you, with a hell of a lot of information to take in. Let’s just chill out.”  
  


Maya’s posture loses some of its tension. “Fine.” She mutters. “Do you still have movies in this weird ass school?” 

Hope smiles.

***

An hour into the movie (Maya insisted they watch _Twilight_ so she can quiz Hope on the accuracy of it) there’s a knock on Hope’s door.

“Come in.” Hope calls out absentmindedly, still chuckling at something Maya said.

She realises her mistake when Josie walks in, freezing as she digests the sight before her: the two of them lying on Hope’s bed, the flickering t.v, the bag of chips they’re sharing. It looks bad. Like Hope is having a girl’s night in with the bitch who gave Josie a concussion yesterday. 

(She may not have quite got round to telling Josie that Maya is a wolf yet.)

“Um.” Josie seems genuinely shocked, eyes darting back and forth. There’s a moment of total vulnerability on her face as she looks at Hope, before her expression snaps shut and her liquid brown eyes heat up. “Sorry, I didn’t realise I was interrupting something.” She’s gone before Hope can sit up. 

Hope is off the bed in a flash, spilling chips everywhere. She catches up with the other girl quickly, pulling at her arm.

“Jo–”

Josie attempts to keep walking but can’t cover any ground with Hope’s hold on her. She stays resolutely turned around though, refusing to face the tribrid.

“It’s not what it looks like. Maya’s a werewolf but she hasn’t turned yet. She didn’t even know.” Josie stops struggling for a second. “It’s why she was so aggressive to you at the game.” 

She tries to catch Josie’s eye but the girl tilts her head away. Sighing in frustration, she slides her hands up and under Josie’s arms, picking the girl up and carrying her over to the wall, which she presses her against. Josie lets out a noise of indignation at the action. 

Now that she can properly see her, Hope appreciates the softness of her outfit – a fluffy pink hoodie and grey sweatpants – and how much it contrasts with the displeasure reverberating off Josie’s body. 

She’s surprised by how genuinely upset Josie looks. The younger girl’s jaw is clenched, her eyes still refusing to meet Hope’s. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Lizzie and I just wanted you to rest today.”

“Lizzie knew?” Josie finally speaks, voice catching. Hope realises that the two of them keeping secrets has already hurt Josie once this semester. 

“Yes, but we honestly would have told you any other time.” She attempts to placate her. “Overthinking or stress isn’t good for a concussion.”

Josie looks at her and then looks away. “But _why_ is she in your room? I don’t like it.”   
  


Hope sighs, moving her hands to interlink with Josie’s. The other girl lets her but her grip is loose and unaffectionate. “She’s just been told she’s a werewolf – that her father she hasn’t even _met_ is probably a wolf. I think you can understand why she might have a few questions.”

Josie shrugs but from the petulant shape of her pout Hope thinks she’s through the worst of it. “Did you want something?” Hope asks, swinging their clasped hands between them. 

“Huh? Oh.” An almost imperceptible blush coats Josie’s cheeks. “No, I just hadn’t seen you all day.”

It’s like someone’s dripped warm chocolate over her heart. Hope feels her face break out in an endeared smile. “Cute.” She whispers, tugging the girl into a hug. 

“I still don’t like her.” Josie mumbles against Hope’s hair. 

Hope laughs airily. “You don’t say?”

They break apart, Josie looking bashful and awkward, while Hope feels light and happy for once. 

“Jo!” They both startle, turning around to find the source of the voice. It’s Landon, looking flushed and disarrayed; his hair all over the place and mud streaked up his jeans.

Hope stares at him, all lightness vanquished.

“Jo,” He pants again, moving closer. His pupils are oddly dilated. Taking no notice of Hope, he inserts himself between them, grabbing at Josie’s hands. “I _need_ to talk to you. Now.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts on Maya? guesses for next chapter?


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> couple things:
> 
> this story is slowburn, sorry about it, but not as slowburn as it seems. I know the updates are sometimes far apart but the story began (in this timeline) October 23rd, and this new chapter is set Dec 2nd/3rd. Only around 6 weeks have passed, Josie and hope kissed after the date night only a week and half ago. I know that feels like 10 years ago but yeah. I try and put in pointers in the chapters as to how long ago things happened, but if anyone is ever confused, just comment below.
> 
> Second, as I said at the start of the story, its an exploration of all three main relationships. I know most of u hate Landon but he's not going anywhere. i promise the emotional pay off at the end will be greater.
> 
> Finallyyy, it's gonna get heavier from this point. The plot is speeding up, and it's going to be darker and different from the show. While I may borrow monsters from the show, I will change them, so don't come in with preconceptions from what they looked like/acted like on legacies. As for the overarching villain storyline and dark Josie...you'll have to wait and see:)
> 
> (also krampus and the weird game/minotaur storyline did NOT happen in my universe as neither aided the plot in anyway. thats how u can tell a bad monster: they don't push the story forward.)

Landon’s hands are ice cold. In fact, he looks really fucking cold all over; his cheeks bruised red from the bitter December wind. 

“Um…” Josie replies, Landon’s earnest stare making her uncomfortable. She finds herself glancing at Hope. The other girl looks a mixture of confused, irritated and something else… apprehensive? 

“What’s wrong?” Josie asks, turning back to the boy. “Have you been somewhere? Why are you so cold?”

“Oh, I went to town.” Landon brushes off her comments. “I just need to talk to you.”

“Has something happened? Is there a monster?”

“No! No, no. Can we go to my room?”

He’s vibrating with a strange manic energy, his eyes never settling on one place for too long. “Why?” 

“ _Please_ , it’s important. Please, Jo–” 

“Okay, okay!” Josie is so confused right now, not understanding what the urgency is about. She looks again at Hope, waiting for her to do something, but she doesn’t. In fact, she seems to have withdrawn in on herself, face unreadable. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Josie says, feeling oddly needy. Maybe because she’s aware that _Maya_ is waiting in Hope’s room for her. 

“Sure.” Hope shrugs non committedly. It’s not enough to reassure Josie, but Landon is standing there and it’s making her awkward.

“Okay.” Josie sighs. “Have a nice evening.”

“Yeah...you too.” Hope gives the two of them a look before turning and leaving abruptly. Feeling Landon’s impatience, Josie obliges in following him to his room, almost having to jog to keep up. It’s around 8pm, making Josie wonder what the hell Landon had been doing in town at this time. 

“Where’s Raf?” Josie asks when they enter the boys’ bedroom. It’s a mess with stuff scattered all over the floor. 

“Off with Rachel.” Landon replies distractedly, crouching down and starting to sort rapidly through some papers. 

“Who’s that?”

“A girl he’s been sleeping with.” 

“Um...okay.” She clearly hasn’t had a conversation with Raf in a while. Josie notices a plastic bag from the supermarket, slightly tipped over and spilling out food. 

“You know the kitchen always has food, right?” She remarks, amused.

He follows her line of sight. “I don’t think they’d appreciate me raiding it completely.”

Josie shakes her head. “Why would you– Landon what’s going on? Come on.” She demands. “Speak to me.”

He stands up, thrusting something at her. “Here.” 

It’s a map of the US. He’s drawn a line starting from Virginia and ending at California. “North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri– Landon what is this?”

“The route we’re going to take. It doesn’t have to be California, but I figured, people are happy there, right? It’s like, always fucking sunny. And you and me, we started in the sun.” He smiles, eyes crinkling. 

She stares at him. Landon’s smile fades, expression transforming into something more desperate. He snatches the map from her hands, tossing it to the ground. Then he grabs her hands, much like he did earlier, squeezing tight. “Don’t you ever think about it, Jo?” He whispers urgently. 

“What?” She stutters.  
  


“Just fucking leaving. Getting out of this poisonous town, this _school._ Nothing good ever happens here and I’m so tired.” His green eyes flick back and forth between hers. “Just pack up a car and leave. Get a tiny apartment in Cali and breathe for a while.”

“Landon, I don’t understand. Where is this coming from? Are you on drugs? Maybe Alyssa slipped you something...” 

Landon screws his eyes tight shut. “ _No._ Jo, just listen.” He opens them, staring imploringly at her. “Do you ever get tired of being so sad?”

The words hit her hard, right in the throat. She looks away, breathing out shakily. “I’m not sad.” 

Landon lets out a quiet chuckle. “Josie, you might be the saddest person I’ve ever met. Definitely the best at hiding it.”

She stares at the wall behind him. Landon moves closer. “You throw yourself into other people – Lizzie, me, Jed, Hope – because it makes you feel like you’re worth something. Because then you don’t have to be alone with yourself–”

“Stop it!” Josie steps back. “Stop analysing me! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do. You know why? Because I’m just like you, Josie. Desperate to be needed. But no one appreciates us here, Josie. No one appreciates someone who is _always_ there.”

She shakes her head. “You act like you were the one who was dumped! You ruined it with me, and then you ruined it with Hope. You wonder why I never feel needed? You added yourself to the list of people who have discarded me.”

Landon looks down. 

“And anyway,” Josie continues unsteadily. “I _am_ needed here. Hope needs me. She told me herself.”

That seems to surprise him for a second. Then he scoffs. “Oh yeah? Six months ago, Hope loved me. Now look at us. Hope won’t know what she needs until she deals with all the issues she’s buried six feet under.”

Josie shakes her head. “I’m not listening to anymore of this craziness. Get some sleep, Landon. You look like you need it.” She leaves him standing amongst his mess, fists clenched and shaking. 

***

  
  


“I’ve been observing the school these past few days and I’ve come to the conclusion that two things are very much needed.” Her mom announces as they all sit for morning assembly. Josie feels wound tight already.

“The first thing I realised was that the students in this school are in dire need of real therapy. Counselling is not enough, especially with some of the things you’ve been through.”

“Oof, that’s a shot at Ms Tig.” Lizzie murmurs into Josie’s ear, amused.

“And for that reason it makes me very happy to introduce you to Ms Talisha Jewel.”

As if appearing from thin air, a black woman of around forty-five steps forward. Dressed in a swooping purple dress that obscures her feet, she seems to glide across the floor. 

“Ms Jewel is a well educated, experienced woman whom I have known for a little while now.” The woman in question inclines her head at Caroline in acknowledgment. “She is a witch, but also a psychotherapist. Each student will attend a mandatory 15-minute session with her over the last few weeks of this semester. She will then decide which students may need to start seeing her regularly.”

_Great._ This is not what Josie wants right now. As Ms Jewel’s dark eyes survey the crowd before her, she already feels under observation. Josie watches as they come to rest somewhere, and follows her line of sight to where Hope sits, arms folded. 

“On a lighter note, the other thing I feel this school needs is a little holiday cheer.” Caroline smiles brightly. “Which is why on the last Friday of term, December 19th, there will be a Christmas Ball hosted for all students.” 

Like the ripple of a wave, excited whispers flow through the students. 

“Oooh!” Lizzie claps her hands together. “This is amazing. My first ball with Sebastian!” 

Josie slumps down further in her chair.

***

“They ran out of the veggie option.” Josie huffs, dropping into the seat next to Hope and leaning her head on the tribrid’s shoulder. “How is that even possible? Two thirds of this school are most definitely _not_ vegetarians.”

“That is a sad looking plate.” Hope comments, looking at her two pieces of broccoli and spoonful of mash.

Josie pouts in agreement. 

“You’re welcome to one of my sausages…” Hope teases, spearing one on a fork and waving it at Josie’s face. Josie slaps it away.

“Ew, no.” She giggles. 

“Can’t say I didn’t offer.” Hope shrugs, almost dislodging Josie’s head. She bites into the sausage and they sit quietly for a minute.

“Afternoon ladies.” MG joins them with Lizzie and Raf right behind him. 

“So Hope, where’s your wolfy friend?” Lizzie asks as she sits down. Josie tenses automatically at the mention of Maya.

“At school I would guess.” Hope replies. “Dr Saltzman has gone to speak to the Sheriff today. Make up some crap about why Maya would do better here. She should have transferred by the end of the week.” 

“So soon?” Josie asks, sitting up. “What if she’s not even a wolf? Maybe she’s just an aggressive bitch.”

“Nah, I tested her.” MG says proudly. “Dr Saltzman got me to try and compel her last night. Didn’t work. She’s officially supernatural.” He takes a long sip from his blood bag. 

Josie stabs a piece of broccoli with her fork sulkily. Hope’s hand comes to rest on her thigh, squeezing it with the clear message of _chill out_. It makes her blush.

“Landon not joining us, Raf?” MG asks.

“Nah, he didn’t even go to class today.” Raf replies. “Been acting real weird.”

“Weird how?” Hope questions immediately. 

“Didn’t sleep last night, obsessively journaling, went off somewhere this morning.”

Josie feels Hope’s hand tighten around her leg. “You didn’t think to mention this?”

Raf sighs, sitting back from his food. “I figured maybe he just wanted some space. It’s not like he’s very welcome in this group right now.”

“And whose fault is that?” Hope bites back. Josie places her hand upon Hope’s, this time as a warning for _her_ to chill out. 

Raf puts his hands up. “I’m not disputing that he’s to blame. But we all need to get away sometimes, right?”

There’s a tense pause as everyone waits for Hope’s response. She turns to Josie. “What did he say to you last night?”

Josie swallows guiltily. “I mean he was a little strange but I thought it was just Landon being….well, Landon.” 

It’s an obvious dodging of the question and Hope knows it. She raises an intimidating eyebrow. Josie hesitates, wondering whether to disclose the full truth. Then she remembers how keeping secrets from Hope that concerned Landon had already shaken their friendship once. 

“He was asking me to run away with him.” 

Lizzie spits out the juice she’s drinking back into the cup. “What?!” She stares bugged-eyed at Josie. “And you failed to mention this why?!”  
  


“Because it’s stupid.” Josie glances anxiously at Hope. The girl has on her emotionless mask which usually means she’s feeling quite the opposite. 

“Maybe he’s been snorting coke.” Lizzie says, looking delighted by the drama of it. “He sounds all over the place.”

“Where the hell is he gonna get coke?” Raf’s tone is half incredulous, half irritated. 

“I don’t know, _Raf_. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of you wolves dealt it to him.”

“Something about that sentence feels racist to me.” He glares at her and Lizzie rolls her eyes.

“Oh, please. Jed is a total druggy. So is that Brock guy that he rooms with. Your pack is crawling with it.”

“Guys! Come on.” MG intervenes. “Maybe it’s something to do with him being a Phoenix?” He suggests. “Maybe he’s going through some sorta change–”

“When he comes back,” Hope cuts MG off. “Let me know. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.” She’s speaking directly to Raf, who gives her a reluctant nod.

Hope doesn’t look at Josie again all lunch and she can’t help but think she’s in the bad books.

***

Josie is walking to her Defensive spells class when Serena Whitehall pops up in front of her like a ghost. She squeaks, jolting backwards and dropping the books in her hands.

“Oh! I’m sorry Josie Saltzman!”  
  


The tall girl bends in half to pick up Josie’s books, offering them to her with a sheepish smile.

Josie takes them. “Just Josie is fine, Serena.” Serena blinks slowly like an owl. “Is there something you needed…?”

“Oh! Right. You see, about a month ago the Goth coven and I were meeting in our special room as we always do twice weekly –” Josie sneaks a look at her watch, aware that she’s already late for class. “– and guess who came knocking?”

Josie responds with a slightly impatient raise of her eyebrows. 

“Hope Mikaelson!” _Oh?_ “And she had a task for me!”

“Really?” Josie asks dubiously. Hope rarely asks for help, let alone from people outside of their circle. 

“Well–” Serena hesitates. “Technically she came to ask me to switch rooms with her. But!–” She hurries along. “Then she told me to let her know if the coven sensed any powerful sources of energy nearby.” She curls some hair behind her ear, looking proud. “As a coven we regularly join our powers together and just _feel_ for what’s around us, feel for every vibration of magic in the air–”

“Serena.” Josie smiles thinly. “Did you find anything?”

“Maybe.” Serena’s face shadows slightly with the flicker of reminiscent fear. “We were out doing magic in the woods at midnight on Saturday–” She must notice Josie’s surprise as that’s _way_ past curfew. “-we have our ways. Being out there allows us to connect to nature and the rhythms of the night that differ so much from the day. This time we felt something _more_. Like a concentration of immense supernatural energy. It felt like it was far away, though.”  
  


“Did you look for it?”

“No, no,” She shakes her head. “It didn’t feel like the sort of thing you go looking for.”

Josie chews her lip, thinking.“What direction was it in?”

“Ah I don’t know. Maybe west? Towards the Lockwood mansion.”

“Okay, thanks Serena. I’ll check it out later.” She goes to walk past the other witch.

“Wait!” Serena looks panicked. “You’re not going to go on your own right? I told you because you're Hope’s girlfriend and she’s kinda intimidating to approach, not to mention hard to find. But I assumed you’d pass the message on.”

“I’m just going to see if I can sense the energy, I won’t do anything dangerous.” Josie reassures her. “And why does everyone think I’m Hope’s girlfriend?”

“Wait– she’s not?” Serena looks confused. “I thought she beat Jed?”

“Beat Jed at what?” 

“The bid for your heart.” The witch replies coyly.

Josie rolls her eyes. “You need to stop gossiping about us.”

“You’re the most well known students in school, who else are we going to gossip about?”

“Find something.” Serena looks put upon but doesn’t protest further. Josie gets the sense that she’s definitely not going to listen to her.

She finally gets to class – twenty minutes late – and slides into her seat next to Hope while the teacher’s head is turned.

“Where the hell were you?” Hope whispers.

“Got held up.” She hurriedly pulls her notebook and pen out of her bag. Hope slides her own notes across the table.

“Thanks.” Josie sends her a sweet smile. After a few minutes of rushed note copying in what is _not_ her best handwriting, she pauses. “Hey, did you know that the other students think we’re dating?”

Without taking her eyes off the board, Hope shrugs. “Who cares?”

“Right.” Josie nervously draws a spiral. “Don’t you want people to know that you’re available now?”

Hope gives her an unimpressed look. “Who the hell in this school would _I_ want to date?”

Josie worries at a sore spot on her lip until the faint taste of copper slides across her tongue. “Maya?”

An amused smile tilts Hope’s mouth. “Just a friend, Jo.”

She nods, going back to her notes and scolding herself for caring. 

  
  


***

Shivering, Josie wraps her scarf tighter around her throat with one hand while balancing her compass in the other. 

“West…” She mumbles, swivelling her body in tune to the pin sized arrow. “Aha! This way.”

She would have told Hope about her little mission, but the girl had gone to check on Landon. She figured while Hope handled _that_ , she could be useful and handle this.

She sings quietly to herself as she walks, attempting to ease the nerves that curdle in her stomach. 

_“There’s things I wanna say to you–”_

She almost trips over a branch, regaining her balance at the last second.

_“–but I’ll just let you live”_ _  
  
_

The sun yawns a deep purple in the distance. Was it sunset already?

_“– like if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”_

“Pretty song.” At the sound of the velvetine voice she stumbles and does fall, hands and knees sliding through the wet mud. “ _Such_ a pretty song. Is it for a pretty person, I wonder?”

Heart thumping, she looks wildly around for the source of the voice. “Who’s there?” She scrambles to stand up, her hand catching her scarf and pulling it uncomfortably taut at her throat. The voice laughs softly and it sounds like a melody she should know. “Who are you?”  
  


He appears from a space she could have sworn was empty; at least seven foot tall, rippling muscle covered only by a spotless robe. The outline of his body seems to shimmer, as though just a projection, capable of vanishing at any second. He stares down at her with eyes so bright and blue she feels herself squint to look at them.

“You may call me Pothos.” He takes a soundless step forward and Josie backs away, terrified. “My, my. Haven’t I caught something delectable.” A tongue darts out to wet his lips. “I’m going to have fun playing with you.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do we prefer shorter, quicker updates? or longer ones that will obviously take well, longer.


	26. Chapter 26

_Stop being such a coward._ Josie takes a deep breath, hoping to draw some kind of courage from the air, and steps forward. 

“It’s better if you just leave.” She schools her voice into a steady rhythm. “Every monster that comes out of Malivore ends up dead eventually.”  
  


He grins the kind of tight smile that’s more a baring of teeth. “A monster? I take it you don't know who I am?” Josie gives him a short, disinterested shrug. “Do I really look like some commonplace creature of this putrid Earth?” 

“I wouldn’t say any of the monsters we’ve encountered are at all _commonplace_.”

“They are. Anything that walks the ground of this earth is, even _you_ , witch.”

He stretches out his neck, seeming to grow even taller, and then a pair of white, feathered wings expand from his back, magnificently large. Josie steps back automatically.

“You’re a god.” She swallows, feeling impossibly small.

“And the pieces fall into place…” He smirks. 

Trying to make out more details through the dark, Josie notices the bow slung across his back. “A warrior of some kind?”

“Incorrect, little witch.” He reaches behind, returning with a gleaming arrow. 

Josie eyes it warily, yet she can’t seem to find the will to move. “So why do you have a weapon?” 

“Oh it’s not a weapon, at least, not in the immediate association of the word.” He turns the arrow slowly in his fingertips. “You see, I am a Greek god of love.”

Josie frowns. “I thought that was Eros.” 

A flicker of irritation dances across his face. “We are many. Eros is the most known, of course. The favourite son.” He spits. “I haven’t seen him in a long time, but I’m sure he’s out there, having his fun.” Pothos’ face neutralises. “You see, when you’re adored, it’s easy to want to spread _love_. But I see no appeal in two hearts so easily united.” 

The closer he moves the more paralysed Josie becomes, as if every emotion she’s ever felt is drawn to the surface of her skin like blood through a needle. 

“No, the hearts that call to me are the ones that ache with unanswered longing, that shiver with the utter loneliness that comes with loving in silence.” Tears slide down Josie’s cheeks, completely out of her control. 

He bends down, closer to her height, voice a mere whisper now. “That’s right. You know what I’m talking about, your heart’s rotted with it. How long are you going to hide from yourself?”

Josie chokes on a sob, her body beginning to shake. Pothos makes a sympathetic noise. “So sensitive and I haven’t even touched you with an arrow yet.” He tucks a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his. 

“Terrified of how much you can feel? Terrified that history will repeat itself? Again and again, never enough…”

He steps back, lining the arrow up within the bow. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

His arm, glinting with muscle, pulls the arrow back until the bow is taut. Josie can only seem to stare at the point of it, heart thumping.

He releases and Josie shuts her eyes tight, waiting for impact. 

It never comes. 

She opens her eyes, blinking away the blur of tears to see the outline of a person, their back to her.

“Ouch!” Hope snaps. She reaches down to tug the arrow out from her chest, tossing it into the mud where it shines like a diamond among rocks. “That stung like a fucking bee.” Josie can see Pothos’ shocked face over Hope’s head and feels the insane urge to laugh. Her emotions are all over the damn place.

Hope swivels around, crouching before her. “Jo, are you hurt?” Her eyes are pooling with worry, and so, so blue. Not the vapid blue of Pothos’s eyes, void of humanity. Hope’s were the kind that seemed to hold every shade of blue you’d ever seen, yet you look at them and you’ve never seen a blue like it. Every single time.

“Jo? You’re worrying me.” Josie thinks she probably looks a state right now; snot and tears running wild. She tries to nudge her vocal chords to say something sensical.

“Sorry… the blue got me.” She mumbles, words tripping over each other. _Dammit._

Hope’s eyebrows draw together. “Okaay. Did you get another concussion?”

Oh fuck. Did she? Her mind feels muddled, like it can’t think with all the emotions chattering around it.

“My brain feels like a slug.” She feels her lip start to wobble with the injustice of it. Why does she have to have a slug brain?  
  


“I’m gonna get you back to the school.” Hope helps Josie up and her hands are a solid warm against Josie’s icy ones. She hadn’t realised how cold she was until now. All the emotions in her body are thawing out, dripping like melting snow down her veins. She shivers.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

Pothos’ claps echo out across the forest, sending a flock of birds flying from the trees. They turn to look at him, Hope slipping an arm around Josie’s waist. His horrid grin is back.

“Now wasn’t that a sweet show. _Behold_ the Tribrid, walking abomination.” He gestures theatrically with his hands, staring at Hope. “Today she plays the dashing hero.”

Hope’s smile is as cutting as her next words. “Happy to make your acquaintance. Tell me, is it not a little humiliating that a _god_ found himself trapped in Malivore?”

The grin slips off his face like wax. “You won’t be quite so smug soon, Tribrid.” His silky voice says, while his gaze lingers at Hope’s chest. “Soon you’ll be begging for reprieve.”

“Begging isn't really my thing.” Hope bites.

“Everyone begs eventually…” To Josie’s surprise, Pothos starts to back away, letting the foliage swallow him up. “In the face of love.”

“You’re going. Just like that?” Josie asks distrustfully.

His cold eyes are all she can make out now. “Oh don’t worry, little witch – the play has just begun. I’ll be back to watch the final act.” 

With that, he vanishes, leaving only rustling leaves in his wake.

“He’s got to be our most annoying monster yet.” Hope says, staring at the space Pothos was just inhabiting.

Josie feels uneasy. “He got you with the arrow.” She feels around the tiny hole in Hope’s shirt that the arrow pierced. She can’t find any sort of wound, only a faint pink mark; like an old scar. 

Hope’s hand comes up to still her nervous one. “I healed already, Jo. It’s going to take more than a little arrow to hurt me.”

“I don’t think he was trying to hurt you. He’s a god of love, Hope. There might be other effects.”

“I feel fine.” Hope brushes off her worries. “It’s not like he got my heart. Right now, we need to get you back.”

They begin to walk in the direction of the school. Now that Pothos is no longer in the vicinity, Josie is starting to regain balance in her body again. 

“Did you check on Landon – is he okay?”

Hope shakes her head. “I was on my way to when Sarah whats-her-name–”

“Serena.”

“–came up and told me you were going into the woods alone. So of course I came to find you.” Hope looks at her. “What the hell were you thinking, Josie? Why do you insist on consistently placing yourself in danger?”

Josie frowns, hating the scolding tone. “I didn’t know there was a god roaming the forest. Serena mentioned a weird energy she’d felt and I went to see if I could feel it too. Since we’ve made little progress in finding Malivore’s new location, it seemed necessary.”

Hope makes a noise of frustration. “The point isn’t about necessity. The point is you should have gone with someone. Preferably me.”

“Why should you have to deal with everything, Hope? I want our friendship to lessen your burden, not add to it.” 

“You _are_ adding to it!” Hope snaps as they come to a halt, facing one another. “You forget that you are not immortal, Josie. All it takes is for you to be caught off guard and you’re dead.” Josie stares at the ground and Hope chases her gaze. “You think that knowledge is lessening my burden?”  
  


“No.” Josie mumbles. She feels like an idiot.

Seemingly satisfied with her chastisement, Hope keeps walking and Josie follows. They go the rest of the way in silence.

Upon reaching the school, they’re greeted with a frantic Rafael.  
  


“Where the fuck have you been?” He demands. When Josie goes to reply he holds up a hand. “It doesn’t matter. Come with me. Landon is not in a good way.”

The boys’ bedroom is dark aside from Raf’s bedside light which casts a pale, circular glow. There’s a human shaped lump on Landon’s bed, bundled in blankets.

“He didn’t want the lights on.” Raf sounds distressed. “Kept saying it hurt.”

“Landon?” Hope calls out softly.

There’s no response from the lump. Josie clenches her fists anxiously. “Hope…” 

Hope squeezes her shoulder and steps forward up to the bed. “Landon? Can you hear me?” When he still doesn’t respond, Hope peels away the blankets.

Josie gasps, digging her nails into her palms. Even through the dark she can see how pallid Landon is, an unnatural clamminess clinging to his skin. His eyes are screwed shut, his bodying violently shuddering at random intervals as though someone is electrocuting him sporadically. She rushes forward, sitting on the bed beside him. It’s awful to see a person usually bouncing with life look so… dead.

“Landon…” She whispers fearfully. His eyes twitch, opening like a newborn baby. They’re grey, and seem to echo the vacancy she saw in Pothos’. But then, ever so slowly, recognition lights up their dim colour. 

“Jo?”

She manages a weak smile. “Yeah it’s me. How are you feeling?” She pushes his damp curls out of his face.

“I’ve been better.” He croaks and she lets out a strained chuckle. 

“I might have to agree with you there.”

“Landon.” Hope leans forward, getting straight to the point. “Do you remember what happened?”

He closes his eyes briefly. “The last thing I remember is taking a walk in the woods to clear my head. And then just this _feeling_.”

“Of what?” 

He opens his eyes. “It’s hard to describe. Urgency? A _need_ for something that couldn’t be sated. It was exhausting. Now my body feels like it’s shutting down.”

“A need for something...or someone?” Hope questions carefully. He blinks at her. “Yesterday, you asked Josie to run away with you.”

Landon looks stunned, and then uncomfortable. “I did?”

Hope nods. There’s an awkward silence. Josie feels bad for him – he doesn’t seem to know where to place his gaze.

Raf steps forward. “Can someone fill me in? What the hell’s wrong with him?”

Hope stands up. “Out in the forest, Josie and I came across the next Malivore creature. He’s a love god named Pothos. I think he may have struck Landon with one of his arrows.”

“Meaning?”

“I don’t know.” Hope sighs. “But it doesn’t look good, does it?”

“Pothos…” Landon speaks up from his bed, voice weak. “Huh. A largely forgotten god – especially now, I suppose.” 

Josie had forgotten that Greek Gods were one of Landon’s interests. “What have you read about him?”

“He’s not explored much in the stories but there are paintings that include him as part of the Erotes – the collective deity of love and desire, led by Eros, god of love. Some accounts say he’s the god of unrequited love.” He meets Josie’s eye and she looks away. “All mention him to be the god of yearning and longing.” 

“How do we kill him?” Raf asks immediately. “We need to make you well again.”

Landon just shrugs hopelessly before letting out a sandpaper cough. Josie passes him the water on his nightstand and he drinks feebly. 

“What can we do to make you feel better?” Josie gently asks him. 

Landon looks at her, his expression stripped down to the bones. “I already do.” He whispers. “Much better than before.” 

The reason is clearly implicit.

“It’s true.” Raf confirms. “Before he couldn’t speak.” 

Josie feels Hope’s gaze upon her and she meets the tribrid’s eyes. She seems to be searching Josie’s face for something, but Josie keeps her expression steady. 

“We have to get to work. Tell my parents and the others. Hit the library.” Josie makes the decision, standing up. “Raf, stay here and watch Landon. I doubt you’d be able to focus on anything else.” Raf nods, shoulders hunched. 

“Wait, you’re leaving me?” Landon’s voice is pitched with panic as he struggles to sit up. “Please don’t.”

Josie swallows, feeling guilty. Not just for now, but for leaving him alone the night before when something was clearly wrong with him. “Landon, I have to. The quicker we get started, the quicker we’ll be able to fix you.”

“You being near me fixes me!” Landon is verging on hysterical now, tears gathering in his eyes. Josie can feel them in her own, too.

“Landon…”

“ _Please–_ ” 

“Ad somnum.” Landon’s eyes roll as his body drops back onto the bed. Josie lets out a trembling breath of relief, feeling immensely distressed by the whole situation. 

Out of the corner of her eye she sees Hope lower her hand.

“Let’s go.”  
  


***

“Fuck!” Josie startles as Hope throws the dusty book she’s holding at the wall. It lands unnaturally splayed, pages bent and abused. “There’s absolutely fuck all about him anywhere.”

The two of them are buried somewhere in a corner of the library, searching the Ancient Greek section – have been for close to three hours now. 

“We just have to keep looking.” Josie placates her from where she sits on the floor, leant against a bookshelf. “There must be something beyond the basic information _somewhere_.” 

Hope is pacing. “No, this is useless. Let me just rip his head off, that should do the trick.”

Josie shakes her head. “He can fly, disappear at will, who knows what else. This isn’t like the other creatures, Hope. None of them were really a match for you, or our magic. But this is a _god._ And a bitter, arrogant one at that.”  
  


“All gods are arrogant.” Hope huffs, still pacing. 

“Have you met a lot of them?” Josie teases, keeping her eyes on the page of her book.

“I know the main stories. Arrogance, conceit, narcissism, vanity. You name it, and one of them will tick the box. It’s funny.” She stops for a second and Josie looks at her, appreciating the confidence that hums in her posture. “You read the great Greek plays and hubris is one of the main downfalls of man; when one disregards the _divinely_ fixed limits on human action. A punishable offence. Yet they’re all as flawed and jealous and pathetic as any human.” 

Josie traces a faded diagram with her finger. “Perhaps that’s why they play with us. At the end of day, they feel the things we feel, but maybe our world is just more vibrant, more fluid, less _static_. They cannot stay away from it.”

Hope listens, a sad but thoughtful expression on her face. “It’s like my father.” She mumbles, running a finger down the spine of a box. “A god in his own right, yet still possessing the same human vulnerabilities when it came to his emotion. Worse even. And New Orleans…” She sighs wistfully. “Now _that’s_ a place that’s never static.”

Josie smiles sadly. “Dead or alive, god or human, mortal or immortal. We all just want to feel.”

Hope slumps down beside her. “Yeah, well. Pothos will definitely be feeling something when I’m finished with him.”  
  


Josie rolls her eyes and knocks Hope’s shoulder with her own.

***

Around an hour later, Josie stretches and twists, her back cracking loudly. Hope has given up reading in favour of obsessively doodling something in the book she’s holding. Josie can’t tell what it is from where she’s sitting. She thinks the other girl looks a little highly strung though.

“I think I’m going to go check on Landon. The lack of updates from Raf is making me anxious.” Hope doesn’t seem to hear her. Josie stands up and walks over, peering curiously at the open book. It’s a pair of lips that’s Hope been drawing, over and over again. Josie watches as she finishes sketching one version and starts immediately on the next, pencil moving rapidly. 

“Um...Hope?” She nudges the girl’s foot with her own and she springs up into a standing position. Josie stumbles backwards in shock.

“Fuck, Hope.” She steadies herself, a little worried now. “Is everything alright?”

“Of course.” The words are sliced short. “What are you doing?”

Josie frowns. “I’m going to see Landon. Why don’t you check if the others have found out anything useful? I’ll be back soon.” She turns to leave but Hope wrenches her back by her arm.

“No.”  
  


“Ow, Hope!” She yelps, taken aback. “What do you mean, _no_?”

“You’re not going anywhere with that thing lurking around.” Her grip on Josie’s arm is tight enough to bruise.

“I’m not going to leave the school – what’s wrong with you?” She attempts to pull free but Hope just grabs her other arm too, propelling her with werewolf speed against the nearest bookshelf. Josie’s head knocks against the books painfully as Hope pins her arms up. “ _No_.” The tribrid growls, eyes flashing a rich blend of blue and gold. “I won’t let you out of my sight.”  
  


Josie feels painfully aware of her spasming heartbeat, of every pulse on her body. “Hope.” She tries to keep the fear out of her voice but it sneaks through anyway. “You’re not yourself. Let go of me.”

Hope narrows her glinting eyes and releases one of her hands. Josie exhales a short breath of relief. Then Hope slides her hand up Josie’s arm, along her shoulder and around her throat. “Hope–”

Her voice is cut off as Hope starts to squeeze, gently increasing the pressure. She splutters, pushing feebly at the other girl’s shoulder with her free hand. White spots begin to appear as her vision dims.

“I’ll keep you safe.” Hope’s whisper is hot and fierce in her ear. It’s the last thing her senses register before everything goes black.

  
  



	27. Chapter 27

Josie startles into lucidity, grasping at her throat. She breathes in and out with vigour once she realises nothing is constricting it. 

“Some dream.” She whispers, glancing around. She’s on a bed but the room is dark, every object within it nothing more than an ambiguous shape.

Someone steps out of the shadows and Josie yelps, scrambling backwards. 

“You’re awake.” 

“Jesus Christ, Hope!” Josie places a hand on her thrumming heart. “Way to be creepy.” 

It unnerves her that the girl doesn’t reply. When she goes to stand up and Hope steps forward warningly, Josie realises it wasn’t a dream after all. The tribrid’s eyes are dark and watchful, but not hostile. Josie hopes she can be reasoned with. She doesn’t want to be knocked out again.

“Hope…” Josie carefully dangles her legs off the bed, but doesn’t make any other move to stand up. “You realise that you’re feeling the effects of Pothos’ arrow, right?”

Hope lifts her chin slowly. “Perhaps.”

Her lack of denial is relieving. “So you remember him firing it at you?”

Hope’s nod is barely there. “When I saved you.”

“Well...yeah.” She concedes. “Is that why you’re being insanely protective? Emphasis on the _insane_ part.” Josie raises her eyebrows at Hope in question.

“I will always do what is necessary to protect those I love.” It sounds like something Hope’s father would have said.

“You strangled me!” She can’t help feeling a little outraged at that.

Hope’s eyebrows draw together and she scoffs. “I performed a basic maneuver that rendered you unconscious.”

Josie clenches her fists and averts her eyes, attempting to soothe her bubbling anger. There’s no point discussing this with Hope in the state she’s in. “Okay.” She stands up, raising her hands when Hope steps forward. “ _Chill_. I’m not going to run off. But we have things we need to do. Starting with checking on Landon, our _friend_ who is suffering right now.”  
  


Hope looks tense.

“Please?” Josie juts out her lip slightly. “We’ll go together. I know you can protect me.” She flatters her.

It takes a few seconds but Hope eventually gives her a curt nod, turning to walk to the door. Josie follows, rolling her eyes. As her mom would always say: Mikaelsons and their egos.

***

Josie can hear Landon before she can see him. Awful choking sounds that frighten her. She tries to rush to his bedroom door but Hope holds her back, insisting she go first. Josie forces herself not to snap at the other girl that she doesn’t need protecting from Landon.

Said boy is curled up on the floor, wheezing and coughing as Raf crouches beside him, looking utterly lost at what to do. When the taller boy sees them, a flash of relief is evident in his expression.

“I– I don’t know how to help him.” His cheeks are tracked with tears. “It feels like he’s dying.”

“If he does, he will come back.” Hope’s voice is unaffected.

Raf glares at Hope as Josie kneels beside Landon. The shudders that wracked his body before are now relentless. “You don’t know that. We know fuck all about Phoenixes. What if a god has the ability to kill him?”  
  


“He has survived all other manners of death.” Hope shrugs. “This is just another.”  
  


“What's wrong with you?” Raf spits.

“She got hit by an arrow, Raf. She’s not herself.” Josie attempts to diffuse. “Landon?” She calls softly. “Can you hear me?” Landon doesn’t respond, eyes twitching ghoulishly behind his eyelids.

“Hope?” Josie turns despairingly to her friend. “What should we do?”

At the sight of Josie’s anguish, Hope’s expression seems to soften. She takes a few steps forward, considering the convulsing boy at her feet. “I can kill him. End his suffering?”

Josie nibbles at her lip, weighing up her options. Rafael stares at her. “You’re not seriously considering that?”

“What other choice do we have?” Josie asks him desperately. “He’s too far along–”

Landon sits up suddenly, eyes opening. 

“Landon?” Josie queries, startled.

He opens his mouth only to lurch forward, vomiting dark, viscous blood onto her.

Josie screams in shock and disgust, falling backwards in her efforts to get away. Hope is by her side immediately, pulling her back and up onto her feet in one smooth move. The putrid smell of his blood is all around her, she feels suffocated in it, desperately trying not to breathe through her nose. 

“Landon! Oh god, oh god.” Raf babbles, rubbing at his back. “What do we do?” He turns desperate eyes on them. Josie shrugs helplessly, fighting the urge to throw up. Landon is still coughing and vomiting, a worrying puddle now surrounding him, his hands slipping in it. 

“Let me end it.” Hope murmurs gently into her ear. Landon’s retches get more violent, becoming nasty hacking sounds as if he’s trying to cough out a lung. 

“Josie!” Raf exclaims, voice pitched. “This could be it for him, we don’t know–”

“I’m thinking!” Josie runs sticky hands through her hair. “Hope?” She turns to her. “You must know a spell?” It’s a plea more than anything. 

Hope – this strange version of Hope whom Josie hasn’t figured out yet – clicks her tongue and walks forward, boots stepping through the blood. She crouches down, feeling around Landon’s chest with her hand.

“His heart is spasming.” Hope informs them. Then she frowns. “It almost feels like it’s...growing.” She rips open Landon’s shirt. To everyone’s horror, they see the outline of his heart pulsing beneath his pale skin, almost like it’s trying to break free.

“That is so wrong…” Raf says, alarmed.

“It...hurts…” Landon splutters, face contorted.

Josie starts to cry. “Hope…” She whimpers. “Do something that eases it, _please._ ”

Hope nods. She places her hand above Landon’s heart, looking deep into his eyes as he wheezes– 

–then sticks her hand in his chest and wrenches out the pulsating organ, dropping it to the ground where it lands with a wet smack. 

“NO!” Raf screams, lunging at her as if he isn’t already far too late. Hope shoves him away with one hand and he falls back in a bundle of long limbs.

Josie watches as Landon’s body goes stock-still, freed from the prison of it’s convulsions, the light fading out of his bright eyes. The gaping hole in his chest peers crudely at her and she turns away, finally emptying her stomach. 

She can hear Raf’s shouts and cries and the thud of Landon’s body as it hits the floor. Her face feels a mix of tears and vomit and blood and she can’t breathe–

“Hey.” Hope is suddenly there, stroking down her spine. “Don’t worry, he’ll come back.”  
  


Josie shakes her head, speaking between retches. “What if... Raf’s right...”

“It’s Landon’s one power. There’s no reason it wouldn’t work.”  
  


“You KILLED him! You fucking bitch! You _psychotic_ monster!” On shaky legs, Josie turns around to see Raf cradling Landon’s limp body, murder in his eyes. 

Hope stiffens behind her, and Josie practically feels the predator begin to thrum through her body.

“Monster?” Hope repeats, voice like liquid gold. “A _monster_ would have enjoyed his suffering.”

“You never cared for him, you never loved him–” Rafael’s rage is uncapped now, and it clearly isn’t stopping. “You used him to feel better about yourself and now you want him out the way.” 

“Raf, stop, _please–_ ” Josie begs. “He’ll resurrect like always, I’m sure.”

Raf turns his glare on her and she flinches at the force of it. “You’re hardly any better. Following her around like a puppy. Jed says you’ve lost your sense and he’s clearly right if you’re defending her ripping his heart out like a savage–”  
  


His last word is choked out of him by Hope’s hand around his throat. “Want me to rip yours out too?” Her smile is sweet as poison. 

“Hope, _don’t_ –” Josie rushes forward fearfully but stops in her tracks when another voice sounds out.

“Oh dear. Isn’t this a mess?”

All three of them turn around, Hope graciously releasing Raf’s neck. 

It’s Pothos, silhouetted in the doorway.

Though he’s gasping for breath, Raf is still the first to speak.

“Who the hell are you?” He growls.

“I’m sure you can guess by now.” Pothos responds, that same nasty smile upon his face as he steps further into the room. Josie shivers in reminiscence of their last encounter. “Looks like I’m right on time.”

“Get out.” Hope demands coldly, moving in front of Josie.

“Hmm.” Pothos places a finger on his chin in faux consideration. “... _no_.” Hope bristles, chin tilting up and hands tightening into fists.

Pothos looks down at Landon’s body. He prods it with a golden shoe. Raf goes to move forward furiously but Hope holds him back. 

“How violent love is. How bloody. How…” He reaches down and before they realise what he’s doing, picks up Landon’s heart. “...delicious.” 

Josie watches with revulsion as he takes a bite out of the heart, blood spurting out of its arteries.

“You’re sick.” Raf spits, looking away.

“Well now, I wasn’t going to let it go to waste!” He grins, teeth bloody. But his smile falters abruptly as he’s hit with a wave of energy that sends him flying against the wall like a puppet tugged up by it’s strings. 

“I _said_ –” Hope steps forward. “Get. Out.”

Pothos has righted himself already; eyes flashing, wings stretching. “It’ll be you next, Tribrid. And I, for one, shall relish it.” With a snap of his fingers, he’s gone, and Josie feels a wave of dread surge inside her.

The door opens and Lizzie, MG and Kaleb walk in. Their eyes widen as they observe the scene before them. There’s a heavy pause.

“So… Landon’s dead.” Kaleb says awkwardly.

“ _She_ killed him.” Raf jerks his head at Hope who clenches her jaw.

“He was suffering badly. There was nothing else to be done.” Josie says and their eyes grow impossibly larger when they take in her appearance. 

“Girl, you need a shower…” Kaleb wrinkles his nose.

“Josie!” Lizzie exclaims. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I’m fine, this is Landon’s blood.” She steps forward, wringing her hands. “But please tell me you guys found something.”

“Actually, we did.” MG replies. Josie lets her hands drop in relief. “That’s why we came looking for you.”

“Good. I also think I need to get in contact with Freya. If there’s a spell I can do to stop this creature, she’ll know it.” 

“Hang on.” Hope interrupts, making her way to stand in front of Josie. “You’re not going to do a spell that puts you in danger. I’ll do the spell.” Out of the corner of her eye, Josie sees the others exchange looks.  
  


“Hope.” Josie says as gently as possible. “Your body is infected. Very soon you won’t be able to stand upright, let alone do a powerful spell. We don’t want to accelerate the condition–”

“A spell to take down a god will undoubtedly involve a huge amount of dark magic. God knows my aunt has grimoires full of it.” Hope cuts out, eyes darkening. Warning bells begin to ring in Josie’s head. “That could do lasting damage to your body, let alone your psyche.”

Josie feels Lizzie’s penetrating eyes upon her now. She looks down. “It’s worth it.” 

Her admittance only fires Hope up further. “Absolutely not.” She spits, turning around to glare at the others. “And if you lot are willing for her to bare the brunt of this–”

“Hey!” MG throws his hands up. “We had no idea what she was planning!”

“Josie.” Lizzie steps forward, looks worried. “Even a moderate amount of dark magic use has affected you this semester. I mean, you haven’t been sleeping well, you’ve been _colder_ at times–”

“Colder? You mean not a pushover.” Josie snaps, feeling critiqued. “I don’t hear any other suggestions ringing out. Everyone knows that after Hope, I’m the most proficient witch at this school. Alyssa Chang is talented, but getting her help is like making a deal with the devil. Plus, mom and dad have all the students locked up in their dorms while they wait for _us_ to figure this out.” 

“Actually, your mom was looking for you–” MG begins but Lizzie cuts him off, folding her arms.

“That’s quite a statement.”

Josie rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, Lizzie. You hardly practice, and you don’t learn any extra spells outside of the curriculum.”

Lizzie scoffs. “You mean I don’t pour over dark grimoires with a torch at night? No, I like to do something called _sleep_.”

“Whatever!” Josie throws her hands up. “You’re right, I have been practicing with black magic. Which means my body is more adjusted to it than yours.” 

Lizzie closes her eyes for a few seconds, appearing to take a measured breath. When she opens them, they’re softer. “Jo, I’m just scared for you.”

Josie sighs. “I know. But we really have no other choice.”

Lizzie gives a short nod. “Okay, let’s go to the library then.” The group moves toward the door but it slams shut in front of them.

Josie turns to meet Hope’s commanding stare. “Don’t do this.” She begs.

The tribrid’s right eyebrow twitches. “Don’t do what? Stop you destroying yourself?”

“Hope, you’re not in charge of her.” Lizzie snaps, annoyed. “It would be a lot more help if you actually came with us to work out how to kill this thing.”

Josie flicks a hand to open the door but it immediately shuts again. Hope barely even twitches a finger to do it. She curls that same finger and Josie feels herself tugged towards her friend like a puppy on a leash.

She’s shocked that Hope is using her powers on her – she never does. In fact, she isn’t one to show off her true ability much at all. Any other time, Josie would find it thrilling. 

“I am.” Hope states in a low voice.

“What?” Josie frowns, trying uselessly to pull away from Hope’s magical grip.

“In charge.”

Josie swallows, sliding her gaze away from Hope’s. An odd flush creeps up her cheeks. “Come be in charge in the library.”  
  


Hope shakes her head with the slow, lazy manner of someone who knows they hold the power. “You’re going somewhere safe.”

Josie is starting to think she may not get out of this when her sister’s voice breaks through the hazy wall of their interaction. “Ad somnum!”

A small part of Josie is dismayed to see Hope’s piercing blue eyes disappear behind the cloak of her eyelids as she falls to the ground with an offensive amount of grace. But she snaps out of it quickly, backing away now that she’s no longer ensnared.

“Quick, get her phone! It’ll have Freya’s number.” Lizzie says, worriedly glancing at the tribrid. “That spell won’t last long on her.”  
  


Josie almost trips forward to retrieve it from Hope’s pocket, and then Raf lifts the unconscious girl onto his bed.

“Raf, you stay here with Landon and Hope.” Lizzie chucks the school phone at him. “If she wakes up, text us. We’ll need the warning.” He nods.

“Go, go, go!” MG shouts, looking terrified that Hope will wake and rip him apart. “To the library!”

***

“So what did you find?” Josie asks breathlessly once they collapse into chairs. 

MG pulls out a rather small, leather bound book from his bag. To Josie it looks more like a diary. 

“A handwritten account from a man in London, late 19th century, detailing a strange illness that “spread” amongst his acquaintances.” MG drops the book in front of Josie. She pulls it toward her with delicate fingers stained red with Landon’s blood. “Read the pages with the folded corners. I’ve underlined the relevant stuff.”  
  


_Jack came to work today with a certain mania about him: dilated eyes and a quiver in his body like he was altered by drugs. It was surprising to me as those substances have never appealed to him before – though of course the city is bubbling with them. I queried as to what was bothering him but he was set on speaking to Catherine Longsfield and wouldn’t answer any of my questions._

_I worry, though. Mrs Longsfied married last Spring and he hasn’t been the same since. Talking to her will only upset him further._

“It sounds a little like how Landon was yesterday.” Josie says quietly, feeling a strange reluctance to keep reading. “But this could be anything.”

MG is impatient. “Flick through. It shows itself in different ways.” 

When she’s too slow to action he snatches the book from her hand, turning the pages himself. “Listen to this.” He begins to read from the page. _“I am quite certain now that some new drug must be circulating the city. It’s the only explanation for the varying behaviour amongst my closest friends. Only yesterday Jack behaved strangely and today he did not appear for work. Now I have just met Marvin for a drink and there was a terrible anger about him, and that same unsettled state of being. He was watching Lucy, the barmaid, like a hawk, I rather thought he might burn holes through her.”_

He turns a few more pages. “ _I was getting my mail from Mrs Chester and she told me her daughter had been outside Mr Turner’s house all night, weeping dreadfully, begging for him to love her back. She seems quite humiliated by the situation. What a desperate fool love makes us.”_

“MG!” Josie interrupts. “As depressing as all this is, I’m not seeing a direct link to Pothos. Hope’s gonna wake up soon and I need some idea of what to do to prevent what happened to Landon from happening to her.” She takes a panicked breath. “Freya can probably help us but we need _something_ to go on.”

“Jo.” Lizzie rests a hand on her arm. “Hope’s not gonna die. She’ll just come back a full Tribrid.”

“No.” Josie shakes her head vigorously. “Not an option.” Everyone stares at her. “I’m sorry but we don’t know how her body will handle that, what it will do to her, if Hope’s even ready for it. There’s never _been_ a Tribrid. We could lose her to herself.” She presses her lips together. “Besides, what about his next victim? Any ordinary wolf, vampire or witch will die, no coming back.”  
  


“We won’t let that happen, Jo.” MG reassures. “I’m almost certain this is about Pothos. Listen: _Today I called for Jack. His door was unlocked so I walked straight in. I found him in a terrible state, violent tremors wracking his body. I called the doctor but he was at a loss. Then Jack started to cough blood and the doctor said it looked like he’d been poisoned…”_

He flips further ahead. “The author starts to go kinda crazy. You can tell he’s hardly sleeping, consumed by the puzzle of what is happening. Each friend shows a mania in varying ways–”

“I wouldn’t describe Hope’s symptoms as manic.” Josie frowns.

Lizzie raises her eyebrows. “Jo, she full on tried to kidnap you just now.”

Josie decides not to mention Hope’s… manipulation of her consciousness earlier. “Okay. She has her moments, but I’d actually say she’s more level and calculating the rest of the time.”

MG looks like he’s thinking. “Perhaps the mania is more evident in some, and more of an...undercurrent in others. I mean, Landon was desperately planning an escape for the two of you. That’s what he’s like; he’s hyper, an other-thinker, a planner, but also somehow impulsive at the same time. Whereas Hope is–”

“Protective.” Josie finishes.

“Aggressive.” Kaleb adds. “She wouldn’t run. I think the arrow strips you back to your instincts.”

They all digest that for a second before MG continues to list out the rest of the symptoms. “Each goes through the tremors, each vomits blood and then their hearts–” He pauses, glancing at Josie.

“What?” She asks stiffly.

“Literally burst out of their chest. He witnesses it happen, says it looks like one of the most painful experiences he could imagine.”

“Poor Landon.” Kaleb says. “Guess Hope really did do him a favour.”

Josie’s mind is spinning. “Hope is _not_ going through that. I won’t allow it.” She says shakily and Lizzie takes her hand, squeezing gently.

“By the way,” She whispers in her ear. “Your hand is totally gross and bloody and I’m only holding it because you're stressed.” Josie lets out a weak chuckle, squeezing her hand back.

“He ends up killing a bunch of his friends out of mercy, before they get to that painful stage. It drives him more insane.” MG continues, still reading. “And then one night he believes to see a winged creature: _at a little past the hour of midnight, I saw the devil leaving the window of a house across the street. It all makes sense to me now. The devil infects good Christians with the disease of love we cannot, will not have, driving us mad until our very hearts explode._ ”

“Okay–” Lizzie says, glancing at Josie’s pale face. “We’ve had enough _dear diary_. How do we kill it?”

MG chews his lip. “Pothos never comes for him, and he doesn’t get why. The only thing he mentions is the protection charm his mother made him which he wears around his neck: an Ankh wrapped in Devil’s ivy.”

“The Ankh. That’s a Pagan symbol. I bet his mother was a witch. But what’s Devil’s ivy?” Lizzie frowns.

“Pothos.” Josie whispers. She’s up and darting to another part of the library, scouring the shelves for what she wants before anyone can question her. When she finds it and heaves it back to the table they all look confused.

“A plant encyclopedia?” Lizzie hedges.

Josie runs her finger down the glossy index page, before flicking to the right section. “Epipremnum aureum. Other names include: Pothos, or Devil’s ivy, so called because it is almost impossible to kill. Known for its heart shaped leaves and tendency to spread wherever it lives, it’s a fairly toxic plant to humans and animals if consumed.”

“Where the hell are we gonna get that?” Kaleb asks.

“I have it in my bedroom. It’s a great houseplant.” Josie replies primly.

“Of course you do.” Kaleb shakes his head. “You really think a _plant_ is his weakness?” 

MG looks enthused. “One names themselves after their weakness in an act of taking ownership over it! It’s a power move.”

“Well, _one_ , is a god. And I don’t think us waving a leaf at him is gonna do much.” Kaleb looks around like they’ve all gone crazy.

Josie’s mind is whirring. “I need to call Freya.”  
  


***

“This sounds serious, maybe I should come to the school.” Freya, voice low and whispered. It’s late and Josie imagines she’s trying not to wake up her wife and child.

“The drive is over thirteen hours, by the time you get here Hope would probably be in an awful condition or worse…” She’s sitting in an upstairs area of the library, her pothos plant and spell books spread about her, Hope’s aunt on speakerphone.

She hears Freya’s sharp intake of breath. “A flight then.”

“It’s still too long. Time is the enemy here– I need your help _now_.”

There’s a weighted pause.

“Okay.” Josie sighs quietly in relief. “Talk to me. What have you found?”

“A 19th century diary of a guy who we’re sure encountered Pothos on a rampage round London, targeting the people he knew. He talks about wearing a charm laced with Devil’s ivy, and how it keeps him protected. But I don’t know…” Josie sighs. “Could a plant really be the key to taking him down?”

“Don’t underestimate the power of that which nature gives us.” Freya says. “What are the weaknesses of vampires and werewolves?”

Josie chews on the end of a pencil. “Vervain and wolfsbane.”

“Flowers. The weakness of my family was an old oak tree. It’s definitely possible.”

“So what do I do?” Josie stands up, starting to pace the length of the table. “He’ll need to ingest it.”  
  


“No that won’t be enough.” She can practically hear Freya shaking her head. “If the ingestion of wolfsbane and vervain doesn’t kill Earth’s supernatural creatures, then I doubt simply ingesting pothos is enough to kill a god. You’ll need to get it in his heart, and it’ll need to be a powerful weapon that does it.”

“You have a spell in mind?”

“Potentially. Tell me a little more about his strengths.”

Josie spins the pencil in her fingers. “He’s very tall, looks physically strong, can disappear at will–”

“So we’ll need the weapon – say, a dagger – to possess the ability to paralyze him momentarily. Otherwise the moment you even start to push it in his heart, he’ll be gone.”

Josie tries not to feel nervous, letting out a weak chuckle. “Paralyze a god? Easy stuff.”

“Far from it. We’ll need the dagger to stay in his heart, to be absorbed by it so the pothos can rot him from the inside out.”

Hope had mentioned a dagger like that before, one that was once inside her father for years on end to cause him relentless suffering.

“A force of magic that strong, that debilitating…” Freya hesitates. “It doesn’t fall in line with the natural balances of life.”

“You mean it’s dark magic.”

No reply.

“I knew that coming into this, Freya. I can handle it.”  
  


“No, you can’t.” Freya sighs. “But you must. I saw you cast that memory spell. It was impressive.” Josie smiles, coming from a Mikaelson witch, that means a lot. “You’re talented but you’ll need to siphon from a powerful source. And there is really only one good enough at that school.”

Josie closes her eyes briefly. “Hope. I don’t want to make her worse.”  
  


“She’s your only chance.”

“Okay.” Josie takes a deep breath. “Tell me what I have to do.”

***

Freya casts a page from her grimoire to appear beside Josie, complete with scribbled edits. 

“You’ll need a dagger as a base for the spell.” Freya reminds her. 

Josie fetches one from Hope’s weapon chest, almost certain that it’s the one she used to kill the ogre. As she’s leaving the bedroom, the photos above Hope’s bed catch her eye. Despite the time pressure she’s under, she can’t stop herself from taking a closer look.

So many of them are of herself. Josie feels herself getting choked up as she stares at a photo of the two of them in the forest, arms linked. With a shaky finger, she strokes Hope’s face.

“I’m gonna save you.” She whispers fiercely. “Whatever it takes.”

***

“Lizzie?” Josie is surprised to find Lizzie lounging on Raf’s bed beside a – still – unconscious Hope, while Landon remains dead on the floor. Josie avoids looking at his body. Raf is sat next to him with his knees pulled up to his chest, head bent. There doesn’t appear to be much conversation going on, just the awful presence of waiting that lingers in the room.

“Yup.” Lizzie pops the word with her lips. “I came back to monitor this one.” She pokes Hope’s leg. “Sent her back to sleep twice already.”

“Good, good.” Josie murmurs. “I need her now. It’s time for the spell.”  
  


Lizzie sits up straight. “Freya gave you the mojo?” Josie nods. Lizzie presses her lips together. “You’re gonna be okay... right?”

Josie nods again, knowing that Lizzie needs the reassurance. “Of course.” Her sister doesn’t look convinced, her eyes tracing Josie’s face. “Seriously, Lizzie. I’ll be siphoning Hope. It’s all good.” She turns to the boy on the floor. “Raf – could you help me move Hope to her bedroom? It’s where I’ve set up the spell.”  
  


Rafael slowly unfurls his body, standing up. “Yeah, alright.” He mutters, moving to pick up Hope with ease. 

Lizzie catches Josie’s hand. “Do you want me to be there with you?” 

“No, no. I need to be completely focused. I’ll be distracted with you all worried in the corner.” She smiles. Lizzie squeezes her hand, anxiety tightening her face. “Just make sure mom or dad don’t come looking for me, okay?” Josie says.

“Mom already did. I said you were buried somewhere in the library researching. She’s suspicious, I think because she hasn’t seen you in hours. She doesn’t even know Landon died – we hid him in the closet when she came in.” 

“It’s better like that. If she knew she’d stop me, and then Hope would die.”

“It was so much easier to do that when it was just dad. He’s in his office with Dorian of course.”

“Are we going or not?” Raf grumbles from by the door, Hope still in his arms. 

“Yeah.” Josie leans down and kisses her sister on the forehead. “Don’t stress, okay? I’ll be back with the weapon in no time.”

“Okay…”

She feels Lizzie’s eyes on her back as she leaves, like someone soaking in their final glance.

***

“So I’m guessing you want her in the middle of this weird ass circle.” Raf gestures to the circle of salt on Hope’s bedroom floor.

“Yep.”

He puts her down, stepping hurriedly back out of the circle like it might trap him. 

“Thanks.” She starts to light her candles. 

“So…” Raf shoves his hands in his pockets. “You’re not gonna like… die, are you?”  
  


“No.”  
  


“But it’s gonna mess you up.” He says it like it’s a fact. Her first instinct is to deny, but then she looks up, catching his dark, guarded eyes. They’re not close, but she still sees the guy who told her there was nothing wrong with caring too much. The first person who made her feel noticed after Penelope dented her heart. It was short lived, of course, but there’s something about Raf that makes him easy to talk to. 

“Probably.” She says quietly, the first sliver of fear slipping into her voice.

He nods, half turning to leave before hesitating. “I’m sorry I called you a puppy. You’re not. You’re brave.”

“Thank you.” She whispers. 

He nods again, and leaves her alone this time. She looks at Hope, whose body is beginning to twitch, and delicately pushes a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I need to borrow some power, okay?” It’s reminiscent of what she said to her at the football game. The only difference is this time Hope doesn’t really have a say in the matter.

She’s crushed some of the pothos plant’s leaves into a paste and coated the dagger’s blade in it. With a sharp knife she slices her palm, dripping blood into a bowl. Her mind is too distracted to even note the pain. Gently, she cuts Hope’s palm too, holding it above the bowl. She’s slower to heal than usual, and Josie suspects her body is using its energy to battle the effects of the arrow. 

Freya’s spell is in front of her. She interlinks their hands, her open wound pressing against Hope’s, and dips the blade into their mixed blood, beginning to read aloud from the page.

The words are unfamiliar to her, heavy on her tongue, and as soon as she speaks them every light in the room cuts out except the flames of the candle. She speaks loud, drawing from Hope like a deep breath. 

The combination of the spell and Hope’s power hits her hard – like being plunged in ice water and set on fire at once – and she gasps, almost disconnecting her hand from Hope’s. It's an effort, but she manages to keep sounding out the words. It’s seconds before her body begins to shake, her blood screaming in her veins. She chokes out a cry, pressing her eyes shut as she recites the spell by memory now.

This isn’t like the other dark spells she’d done. This doesn’t feel addictive, this feels like the worst pain she’s ever experienced.

Minutes pass. She feels something wet drip down her face and blinks, realising it’s blood from the corner of her eyes.

“ _Shit_.” She curses, willing her body to hold it together. She focuses on the feeling of Hope, drawing more energy from her. 

“Josie?” _Double shit._ She looks at her friend who is now wide awake and staring at her with mounting horror. “What the hell have you done?”  
  


“What needed to be done.” Josie grits out. The dagger has begun to vibrate, it’s colour changing as the pothos starts to become one with the blade. Hope goes to pull her hand out of Josie’s grip.

“Don’t you dare.” Josie hisses, holding on tight. “Or this will all be for nothing.”

Hope stops pulling away but snaps: “I can’t express how angry I am with you right now.”

“Good. Don’t.” Josie snaps back. She continues to repeat the spell, feeling a mounting pressure in her head like all the air around them was pressing furiously into her. 

The taste of bitter, coppery blood begins to fill her mouth and she swallows it back down with a grimace, fighting the urge to vomit for the second time that day.

“You’re hurting your body!” Hope’s voice is distressed.

Josie closes her eyes, focusing on the spell. It was like trying to buckle up a seatbelt in the dark, she just needed to press a little harder and get that final click.

“Jo, stop.” Hope begs, but her voice sounds like a distant whisper, touching at the edge of her consciousness. 

Josie visualises the blade, holding the handle tightly as speaks the words with more vigour, more certainty – like she’s been reciting them her whole life. They don’t feel strange on her tongue anymore, they feel burning hot, each one scorching her tongue raw before she spits it out. 

And then she feels it: the click. 

There’s a sting in her hand as the dagger heats sharply. "Ow!” She drops it. The candles extinguish and they’re plunged into darkness.

What?” Hope fumbles for her in the dark.

Josie touches the dagger. It’s cooled already. 

“I think I did it.” She whispers in disbelief. 

“I think I’m gonna kill you.” Hope mutters back.

“Okay…” Josie suddenly feels very faint as her adrenaline begins to subdue. “You do that…”

She falls into Hope’s lap and her mind snaps shut.

***

The first thing she feels is the gentle touch of Hope’s fingers against her face, tracing invisible patterns. 

The second thing she feels is the smouldering of something _new_ in her body. She shivers. 

“Jo?” Hope’s voice is softly anxious. 

“Hi.” Her voice is sore and cracked from the spell. She opens her eyes and attempts a smile. 

Her head is cradled in Hope’s lap. The other girl doesn’t look impressed, her shapely eyebrows drawn together. Josie can immediately tell that weird, monotone, domineering Hope has gone. This is _her_ Hope.

Josie frowns when the tribrid gives a violent shudder. “You’re getting worse.”

“It’s not too bad.” But Josie can hear the pain in her voice.

“Liar.”

Hope rolls her eyes. “I can handle a little pain.”

“What about your heart bursting out of your body?”

“What?”

Josie hesitates. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?” Hope looks lost.

“Landon, his heart. You –” Josie cuts herself off, unsure how to continue.

“I what?”  
  


Regretfully, she sits up and explains. Her body aches like she’s had the flu and run a marathon.

“So Raf hates me.” Is the first thing Hope says, immediately followed by a hacking cough that goes on for worryingly too long. The tremors running through her body are continuous now.

“It was just in the moment emotion.” Josie replies, distracted by Hope’s deteriorating state. “You need to get into bed. I’ll go see if Landon’s revived yet.”

She knows it’s dire when Hope doesn’t even argue, letting Josie help her under the covers. “My heartbeat–” She trembles. “It’s out of control.”

Josie nods, chewing her lip hard. “It’s okay. Just...wait here.” She tucks the dagger in her back pocket, heading for the door.

“Don’t do anything dangerous, Josie.” Hope croaks.

“I won’t.”

***

“Jo!” Lizzie calls out, crushing her in a running hug at the same time as Josie breathes out a relieved _“Landon.”_

He’s alive. Pale, drained and sooty, but alive. He smiles tiredly at her from his bed and she smiles back over Lizzie’s shoulder. 

“I knew we couldn’t get rid of you that easily.” She teases as Lizzie releases her.

“Dragged back to this world kicking and screaming.” He jokes, but it doesn’t quite sit right, his smile a little off. 

She stores it in her mind for later. “Well, we’re all glad you were.” 

His smile is a tad more genuine now and he nods minutely.

“Are _you_ good?” It’s Raf who asks the question. He regards her solemnly from his own bed.

“Yeah, somehow you look even worse.” Lizzie says, aiming for wit but landing at worry. “Is that more blood?”

“I’m good.” She says, ignoring the whispers of _liar_ that dance in her blood. “Look, the spell worked.” She shows them the dagger. 

Lizzie is examining it closely when Raf freezes suddenly.

“What?” Josie asks uneasily. “What is it?”

Raf’s gaze hooks on hers. “Hope.”

Snatching the dagger, Josie is running faster than she ever has in her life. Her body screams at her, not ready to be pushed so hard.

_You shouldn’t have left her alone._

“HOPE!” The bedroom doors she passes become one stretched blur as she sprints. “Where are you?!”

She rounds the corner to the girls’ dormitories and that’s when she sees her. 

She’s hunched, hand pressed to her heart like she’s trying to hold it in her chest, the figure of Pothos looming behind her like a white winged devil.

Hope’s never looked so small, so fragile. It makes Josie want to burn the world down to protect her.

“Josie…” Her voice is slurred, smudged around the edges and falling into a whisper. “My chest...”

“Hope!” She dashes forward, grasping at Hope as she starts to fall, letting herself be taken down with her. Her knees hit the wooden floor hard, but she barely registers the pain. “Are you okay?” She presses her hands to the sides of Hope’s face, attempting to direct her focus onto her.

“It’s too much…” Hope is shaking her head, causing Josie’s hands to slip. Hope hits her hand against her chest, clawing at it desperately.

“You’re okay, just hold on.” Josie is panicking, visions of Landon’s gaping chest flashing through her mind.

“The great Tribrid has fallen. In the end, as weak as any other.” Pothos announces mockingly, like he’s addressing a crowd. “What a wonderful sight.”

Filled with so much rage that she can feel the flames licking beneath her skin, Josie sends a curse his way. “ _Ignalusa._ ”

It catches Pothos’ wings, which singe momentarily before he extinguishes them with his fingertips. 

“Nice tricks sweetheart, but you forget I’m a _God_. Your mortal magic does very little harm.”

Josie grits her teeth. “Those wings look pretty flammable to me.” 

Pothos shrugs, taking another step towards the two girls. “They are my most delicate feature, but they will always re-grow, re-form… can you say the same for that pretty head of yours – or better, that heart?”

“You’re not getting anyway near my heart.” Josie hisses. “Or Hope’s.”

“Oh but I am. It’s calling to me,” He licks his lips, eyes flashing. “Pulsing and enlarging with every beat of her yearning heart.”

“ _Morator!_ ” Josie attempts to slow him down as Hope’s head flops almost lifelessly onto her shoulder, body convulsing. If she wasn’t so stressed she would feel satisfaction at the look of annoyance on Pothos’ face as he feels his limbs become heavy and slow moving. 

“Well, witch, I commend you. You are more powerful than I thought. Though it’s effects will not last long.” Even as he’s speaking his limbs are gaining speed. “Where do you plan on taking this? I will kill her. And then I will kill you. I will kill everyone you care about.”

“Why?” Josie spits.

He leans down, lifeless eyes examining her. “Because I can.” He whispers, and she feels his icy breath like the hand of death.

Josie’s mind runs a mile a minute. She remembers Hope’s words from earlier: 

_They’re all as flawed and jealous and pathetic as any human._

“Let me guess." She taunts, willing the shake out of her voice. "Daddy didn’t love you as much as your brothers and now you have to spread misery wherever you go?” 

He sneers at her but she sees a twitch in the muscle of his jaw. “Good try little witch. But you can’t provoke me. I’ve lived thousands of years, I know every trick in the book.”

“Must hurt, to be a god and still be insignificant.” Josie continues, carefully moving one hand closer to her back pocket. Pothos leans towards her, teeth clenched in a smile that hides a long buried grievance. “To be swallowed by Malivore and know that now, you’re utterly forgotten.”

He freezes, a very human expression of confusion startling his face. “What?”

Her hand closes around the handle of the dagger. “Oh?” She lets out an airy laugh, keeping Hope's quivering body wrapped in her arm. “You didn’t know?”

“Know _what_.” He snarls. 

“Malivore.” Letting Hope slide gently to the ground, she stands up, one hand behind her back. “It wipes the memory of you from every mind.”

“You’re lying.”

She shakes her head slowly, giving Pothos a pitying look. “No.” Josie steps right up to him, feeling stronger than she did the last time they were this close. Like her body has grown an extra layer of defence. “I guess now, daddy really doesn’t care. In fact–”

“– he’ll never care again.”

And that’s when she does it: when she sees the ripple in his blue eyes, the moment of utter vulnerability. 

That’s when she drives the dagger in his heart.

***

It's quiet in the way that only exists past 3am. 

Hope is deeply asleep, wrapped in a snuggly hoodie and four soft blankets. The effects of the arrow have left her body in a state of deep exhaustion, though Josie suspects the tribrid is already recovering fast. Josie sits beside Hope, her own body aching for sleep yet her mind too wired to even consider it. 

She feels agitated. The black magic lingers hot and cold in her veins, her throat is dehydrated and if she focuses she can feel the raw skin on her knees from where they hit the floor. Her hands are in constant motion, rubbing at her legs as she rehashes the day, as she watches Hope, as she thinks that she could have died and it would’ve been all for saving Josie from that damn arrow.

Hope breathes out a heavy sigh, burrowing further into her pillow and Josie remembers the blue of eyes in the forest, and how utterly relieved she’d been to see them. How all the words that Pothos had tugged to the roof of her mouth had almost spilled out then and there. 

  
Her stomach is heavy with emotion like a sickness, and she sits in it, accepting it – finally.

“I’m in love with you.” 

She speaks the words and the world keeps grinding on, ignoring their magnitude, unbothered by the girl who watches her friend sleep.

She speaks the words and imagines them hanging in the air, waiting to be absorbed, but Hope keeps sleeping so they slowly drift back to Josie and she swallows them again.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bet u thought Hope would be the first to admit it...
> 
> cheer me up with your comments cus Englands back in lockdown and im v depressed about it
> 
> songs I listened to while writing Josie's dark magic scene: Hozier- Arsonist's Lullabye, 2WEI- Survivor  
> (from my dark Josie playlist)


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> c/w mention of self harm but no actual self harm

“You okay?” Hope asks Josie, who’s staring into space for the third time that lesson. She’s worried. There’s a sallow tone to Josie’s skin and blue smudges under her eyes. Even the colour of her eyes seems altered, like someone came along and painted them with a heavier brown to hide their usual softness. 

“Jo?” Hope nudges her. 

“Hm?” Josie glances at her, straightening her spine. 

“You zoned out again.” 

“Mr Jerry’s voice sends me to sleep.” She shrugs, looking at their admittedly old, and slow talking, chemistry of magic professor. “I think there should be an age limit for teachers.”  
  


Hope smirks. A tired Josie is a grumpy Josie, and a grumpy Josie is a snarky Josie.

“What did he ever do to you?” 

“Bored me to death.”  
  


Hope laughs quietly and they sit for a while, taking notes. “Did you try again?”  
  


Josie sighs. “Yes, Hope. Last night and this morning. It still won’t work. I can feel it tugging at the magic but it’s like it’s buried too deep or something.” 

Josie had encountered a rather significant problem when it came to draining the dark magic she’d used into the mora miserium. To put it shortly: she couldn’t.

“This is not good, Jo–”

“I know!” The other girl snaps and Hope flinches in surprise. Josie breathes in and out slowly. Her next words are softer. “I know.” 

Hope presses down unnecessarily hard with her pen as she writes. “Do you _know_ that what you did was stupid?”  
  


“It stopped you dying so no, it wasn’t.”

“How long will it take you to understand that I don’t want you putting yourself at risk for me?”

“About as long as it takes for you to understand you’re not the only one who can put yourself at risk for others.” Josie retorts, glaring at Hope from under her eyelashes.

Hope clicks her tongue in annoyance. “Maybe we should tell your mom what’s going on–”

“You’re kidding me right?!” Josie looks aghast by the suggestion. 

“Ladies!” Mr Jerry’s wizened voice sounds out. “A little less talk, please.”

Hope nods, flashing him a fake smile. They both notice the girl in front goggling at them.

“What?” Josie snaps at her and she looks down sheepishly. “Mind your own.” 

“Miss Saltzman.” The professor hobbles forward, hands behind his back. “I know this has been a trying week for you and your friends, but you already have yesterday’s lesson to catch up on. I suggest you pay attention.”

“I didn’t miss that by choice, Sir.” Josie’s smile is thin. “My mom made me.”  
  


“For good reason. One does not fight a creature until the early hours of the morning and get up for class the next day. But life potters on, finals start next week. Hmm?” He waits until Josie gives him a stiff nod before returning to the front of the class.

“Stupid old fool.” Josie mutters under her breath.

“Jo...go easy.” Hope sighs. “He’s a decent guy.”

Josie doesn’t say anything else, mouth pulled down in an annoyed pout. 

The class finishes and the students filter out, pushing mountains of revision work into their school bags. 

“So–” Hope links her arm through Josie’s, attempting to lift the mood. “Are you gonna help me move Maya in later?”  
  


She’s teasing her and Josie knows it, shooting her a derisive look. “I’d rather slit my wrists.” 

“Josie!” Hope scolds, a little unnerved by the flippancy of her comment. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“Sorry.” Josie says flatly. “It’s not like she’d want me there anyway.”  
  


“Probably not. But I really want you two to get on.” Josie rolls her eyes. “No, seriously, Jo.” She pulls the girl to a stop. “Would you try?” She catches Josie’s eyes. “For me?”

Josie stares right back and the moment becomes more absorbing, more _charged_ than Hope ever meant it to be – the way it so often does with Josie. It’s just something about those damn brown eyes. 

“Sure, Hope.” Josie murmurs, the first flutter of a soft smile playing at her lips – plus a hint of something else. “For you, always.”

***

“So doesn’t your mom find it weird that you randomly wanted to switch schools?” Lizzie asks Maya from where she’s perched on the girl’s bed. 

Hope had been surprised – and suspicious – when Lizzie had offered to help Maya unpack. She shouldn’t have worried though. Lizzie has yet to lift a finger, preferring instead to ask nosy questions and poke around Maya’s belongings.

“Yeah, she does. She especially doesn’t understand why I would join a school two weeks before the end of a semester. I told her it was so I could make new friends before the holidays.” Maya replies, hanging clothes up in the closet.

“So when do you wolf out?”

“Lizzie.” Hope shoots her a look. Transforming for the first time is terrifying, and not really something you want to think about too much.

“It’s cool.” Maya smiles. “Next Friday.”

“Rough having your first in December.” Lizzie remarks, examining her nails.

“Uh, why?”

“It’s the Cold Moon.” Lizzie makes a _duh_ expression. “The longest full moon of the year as we’re nearing the winter solstice.”

“Oh.” Maya’s smile falters a little. 

“It doesn’t make much difference, Maya.” Hope reassures her before looking at Lizzie, eyes narrowed. “How do you even know that, you nerd? It’s not your species.”

“My good friend Raf is a wolf! Of course I know.” Lizzie turns to Maya. “Raf and I had a short but passionate affair.”

“You fucked once and then he dumped you.” Hope rolls her eyes.

“We were both damaged souls, not yet ready to find each other.” Lizzie says, lying back on the bed. “It was tragic, really.”  
  


Maya glances at Hope, amusement in her eyes. Hope smiles back at her, shaking her head.

“Where’s Sebastian been lately? I thought you were really into him.” She helps Maya stick up a Beyonce poster. 

“I _am_. He took a little trip. He was getting restless here.”

“A trip where?” Lizzie shrugs. “Sounds dodgy to me. Surely your dad will kick him out if he misses school?”

“Daddy can try, but I’ll kick up a fuss so monumental it won’t be worth the effort.” Lizzie says dismissively. “Anyway, he’s hardly noticed, what with mom coming back and the Pothos debacle.”

“Pothos?” Maya frowns as she sets her jewelry on its stand.

“Wednesday’s monster.” Hope sighs.

“I’m gone two days and you guys have another monster?”

“Yup.” Lizzie chirps. “And my parents are totally in the dark about how we killed it.”  
  


Maya raises an eyebrow in question. 

Lizzie notices her expression. “My lunatic of a sister did a bunch of dark magic that she definitely shouldn’t have done.” 

“Don’t call her that.” Hope says crossly.

“Sorry. My mentally compromised sister–” Hope glares at her. “–absorbed enough dark magic to kill a _god_ , but my parents just think Landon ate something poisonous and the god ate his heart and died.”  
  


“Um...is that supposed to be a better scenario?”  
  


“Oh, it’s fine.” Lizzie waves her off. “Landon always comes back to life.” 

“Yeah, Hope explained that.” Maya appears to be a little perturbed by the topic of conversation, a reminder to Hope that this is all so new to her. “But it must mess him up. I mean, it’s still dying, right?”  
  


“Huh. Never really cared to ask him.” Lizzie shrugs one shoulder. Hope frowns, thinking maybe she _should_ check on Landon.

There’s a quick knock on the door and Josie peeps around it.

“Jo, hi.” Hope beams. She senses Maya stiffen beside her and prays she doesn’t start anything.

“Hey.” Josie steps into the room, eyes scanning it quickly. “Ah, you got a single bed. Bad luck.” She directs the comment at Maya.

Maya shrugs. “I’ll manage. Just glad I don’t have to share.”

“Well, the room’s too small to fit another bed in really.” Lizzie says, oblivious to – or more likely, unbothered by – the tension. “It has a certain charm though.”

“It does. I like your reading nook.” Josie nods her head to the window. 

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Maya replies stiffly.

There’s a silence that contrasts painfully to the natural conversation that was flowing before. 

“So, uh. I came by to... clear the air.” Josie steps closer to Maya, and Hope admires the way her soft hair falls about her face. “Now that you go here, we should be friends.”

Maya regards her coolly. She takes a little too long to reply, long enough that Josie begins to shift awkwardly on her feet. “Yeah, okay.” Hope’s muscles relax. “I mean, I suppose we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, since we’re both good friends of Hope’s.”

Josie’s smile is strained. “I suppose so.” 

“Oooh I have an idea!” Lizzie leaps up from the bed. “Movie night in our room. Tonight.”

“In our room?” Josie repeats unenthusiastically.

“Yes. We can invite all the gang and they can get to know Maya.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that–” Maya protests. 

“Come on!” Lizzie huffs. “It’s Friday night. We have nothing better to do.” She raises her eyebrows at Josie who lifts and drops her shoulders.

“Sure, whatever.”  
  


Hope feels bad though. Josie clearly isn’t keen and she’s already made enough effort with Maya to content Hope for the day. “Look, we can have it in my room.” It’s a struggle for her to say: the thought of having all those clumsy boys in her personal space is revolting. 

“What, no, Hope–” Josie shakes her head, smiling gently. “You’d hate that. We can have it in ours.” 

“Are you sure–”

“Yes, for god’s sake!” Lizzie cuts them off, exasperated. “It’s a movie night. It’s not gonna kill either of you.”

They arrange for 9 o'clock.

“I’m gonna go take a shower. I’ll see you later.” Josie seems in a hurry to leave the room and Hope watches her go, calculating whether she has time to drop by and see her before the movie. 

“I really don’t want to impose.” Maya is speaking to Lizzie, sounding uncomfortable. 

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine.” Lizzie says. “Hope just likes to baby my sister.”

Hope rolls her eyes. “Don’t you have people to round up, Lizzie?” 

“Ah, the queen wants me gone, so Maya–” Lizzie twirls around to look at her, hands clasped. “I’ll see you later.”  
  


Maya smiles. “See you later.” Once Lizzie’s gone, she turns to Hope. “I like her.”

“I suppose she has her charms.”

Maya laughs at that. “Are you guys friends or…? It’s kinda hard to tell.”

Hope’s lips quirk. “Yeah we are. It’s a fairly new development though, she used to be awful to me.” 

Maya raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Up until the end of last school year. But now we get on pretty well most of the time. Except, I guess, when we disagree over Josie.”

“What a surprise.” Maya drawls.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning she seems to cause a lot of issues.”

Hope leans against Maya’s desk, frowning. “Except she doesn’t cause the issues. Lizzie does.”

Maya snorts and Hope is quickly remembering that she’s never one to hold her opinions in. “You’re sure of that?”

“Yes. Lizzie forgets to consider Josie’s feelings and then acts baffled when there’s distance between them.”

“Well I don’t know about any of _that_ , I just got here. I’m no expert on your dramas. But I don’t think that girl is as delicate as you seem to believe.”  
  


Maya picks up her now empty suitcases and goes to shove them in the closet. Hope watches her, feeling agitated. The click of the closet door sounds loudly in her skull. 

“What do you mean?”

Maya sighs, turning around and folding her arms. “Look, Hope. I’m a teenage girl, and now, apparently, I’m a wolf. I know how to sense a girl who’s out for blood. And _Josie_ –” She hesitates. “She’s not as harmless as she seems.”  
  


Hope lets out a short laugh. “Oh she’s far from harmless. Believe me, I know that.” She still gets breathless when she remembers how Josie siphoned dark magic from the samurai sword, blasting it at Lizzie with a scream that seemed to come from her very soul. Or when she collapsed the ogre’s legs, sapped of energy and balancing on the precipice of unconsciousness. 

Or the exact moment that Josie brought everyone’s memories back; when she grabbed the echo of Hope and dragged her out from obscurity. 

“ _That_!” Maya exclaims, walking towards her and pointing. “That _very_ expression on your face right now! Blindly worshipping her. It’s so obvious.”

“Excuse me?” Hope is a little riled up now. “I don’t worship anyone.”

“Oh, babe.” Maya smirks. “How far are you buried in denial?”

Hope just stares back at her, jaw clenched. 

Maya’s expression turns gradually from teasing to serious. Her dark eyes seem almost to plead with Hope. 

“You’re a strong person, Hope. I really admire that about you. Especially with everything that’s happened in your life. But that girl – she’ll only unravel you.”

Hope blinks. “What are you on about?”

“I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it–”

“Look, Maya.” It suddenly feels very necessary that this conversation end. “I appreciate you looking out for me. But don’t project whatever experiences you’ve had onto me and Josie.”

“Hope–”

She’s already pulling the door open. “I’ll see you later. The twins are room 22.” 

***

“Is this everyone?” Hope asks, unimpressed, a few seconds after walking into the room.

“Yup.” Lizzie says as she fills a bowl with chips. 

“So, you only managed to get MG.”

“Hey!” MG protests, aforementioned chips already in his mouth. Lizzie slaps his hand away from the bowl. “Am I not good enough for you?”

So far, the movie night is looking a little dismal: MG sprawled on Lizzie’s bed wearing his spiderman onesie, a singular sad bowl of chips and no Maya. Josie is apparently off in the kitchen getting “Those disgusting veggie chips she likes” after complaining about Lizzie’s choice of snack.

“What happened to the others? This is supposed to be a get-to-know Maya event.”

Lizzie shrugs. “No one was interested. Raf said no, Landon didn’t even bother getting out of his bed to talk to me – which, by the way, _rude_ – and Kaleb was doing something with music, I don’t know.” 

Hope folds her arms, confused. “Doesn’t sound like Landon.”

Lizzie ignores her. “And of course I have higher standards than inviting _Jed_.”

“What did Jed do to you?” MG asks through another mouthful of chips. Hope wrinkles her nose.

“I just have no patience for him giving Josie sad puppy eyes all night.” 

Hope sighs. After the weird conversation with Maya earlier she’s had this persistent unsettled feeling. If it wasn’t Maya’s first night, she’d totally bail. “Well, what are we watching?”

MG whips out a DVD from somewhere. “The Exorcist!”  
  


Hope swallows. “But Josie hates horror.” She tactically leaves out that she’s not keen on it either. 

“It’s from the 1970s, it’s hardly going to make her piss her pants.” Lizzie dismisses. 

“On the contrary!” Hope argues, keeping the whine out of her voice, _just_. “The older, the creepier!”  
  


Lizzie just shakes her head. “MG, help me push the beds together.”  
  


Hope _really_ wants to leave now. 

“Hey.” At the sound of her voice, Hope relaxes a little, leaning back into Josie’s touch. She tilts her head to look at her. The other girl is in her fluffy pink hoodie, hair still damp from the shower, carrying that lingering shampoo smell that freshly washed hair always emanates. 

“Get your snacks?” Hope smiles.

Josie holds up the bag of chips. “So what are we watching?” She sees the movie on the bed before anyone can answer. “The Exorcist? But Hope hates horror. Don’t you?” Josie looks to Hope for confirmation and Hope narrows her eyes back. 

“Seriously?” Lizzie looks amused, standing with her hands on her hips. “Didn’t you torture a guy once?”

“Shut up.”  
  


“So, what – you like, hide behind a blanket?” MG teases.

“Do you need us to leave the lights on?” Lizze adds.

Hope just glares at Josie who gives her a very not-guilty smile back.

***

Maya joins them soon after and the happiness slips off Josie like water. There’s a palpable strained energy in the room, and since neither Josie or Maya will really talk to each other, Hope finds herself awkwardly moving from one to the other, engaging in conversations that fizzle quickly. 

She’s grateful when Lizzie sets up the movie. 

Hope ends up between Josie and Maya on the bed, with MG and Lizzie on the other side of Maya. Josie immediately curls into her side, but Hope can tell she’s nowhere near relaxed. Once the lights are off, a little of the tension leaves Josie’s body, and in response, Hope’s too. 

Hope doesn’t like convoluted horror, played out before her in a way that she cannot control. She carries enough tension on a daily basis and doesn’t need to add to it by waiting for a jumpscare. Maya, Lizzie and MG are loving it, eyes glued to the screen as they pass the popcorn back and forth. Maya keeps prodding her in the side and giggling when something horrific happens, so Hope at least attempts to relax and enjoy it.

As the little girl on the screen gets more and more possessed, body twitching and erupting in satanic outbursts, Hope feels Josie begin to quiver beside her. 

“You okay?” Hope whispers into her hair. 

Josie gives a jerky nod. 

Hope can’t make out her face in the dark, so presumes it’s just jitters. That is until Josie sits up abruptly, the movement knocking the popcorn bowl off Hope’s lap. The little pieces scatter across the bed. 

“Jo?” Lizzie asks, confused.

Josie ignores her, instead sliding off the bed and dashing into the bathroom. 

They all sit shocked for a second, until the unmistakable sound of Josie’s retches can be heard. 

“You guys keep watching. I’ll check on her.” Hope says, hurriedly making her way to the bathroom door. She slips in without knocking.

Josie is hunched over the toilet bowl, one hand grappling with her hair. Hope takes over, kneeling behind her and gathering the hair together gently.

“I didn’t know you were feeling sick.” She murmurs. Maybe that’s why Josie has been a little off today.

Josie spits into the toilet. “I’m not– I mean, I wasn’t.”

“Just came on suddenly?”

The other girl doesn’t reply for a while. Hope strokes her back, each rib worryingly catching her hand. Eventually Josie sits back against the bathtub, eyes closed. “I don’t know. I didn’t like seeing what happened to that little girl. How it just...took over her.”

It takes Hope a second. “In the movie?”

Josie nods. 

“But it’s not real–”  
  


“I’m aware.” Josie cuts her off. “But a lot of things aren’t real, until they are.”  
  


Hope can’t argue with her there.

***

The following week hits Hope like a truck. Finals are upon them and she’s not prepared – extra studying isn’t really her thing unless Josie studies with her, and she spent the weekend with Maya, trying to prepare the girl for her first transformation coming up on Friday. A part of her brain is in constant anxious motion, thinking up reasons why the Mora Miserium won’t drain Josie’s dark magic. She’s jotted down a bunch of theories and methods they can try, but she hasn’t seen Josie since the movie night.

All in all, it’s hard to care about exams right now, senior year or not.

“It was just _so_ weird. Like this stuff, it’s _real,_ you know?” Maya chats as they walk to lunch. The other girl has just come from _Physiology of Lycanthropes_ , her first supernatural class ever. “I felt like I was dissociating half the time. Everyone was just acting like they were in chem class or something!”

“We have chem class too.” 

“Yeah, I saw.” Maya huffs. “I thought being a supernatural might get me away from math and science. No luck there.”  
  


“There’s actually a fairly interesting crossover between science and supernaturals. ” Hope points out. “I mean, physiology is scientific, and when you change into a werewolf, there’s a lot going on biologically.”  
  


Maya goes a little quiet, like she always does when changing is mentioned. 

“Hey, don’t worry.” Hope gives her a smile. “We’ll do it out in the woods so you don’t feel trapped, and I’ll be there the whole time.”

Maya nods and gives her a small smile back.

They sit down at a lunch table where Raf, MG, Kaleb and Lizzie are already eating. 

“Guys, this is Maya.” Hope introduces her.

Kaleb greets Maya with a smile that’s a little _too_ bright and Raf nods at her. “Yeah, we just had class together. Sorry I didn’t say hi, I’ve been a little distracted.” 

“It’s cool.” Maya says. “Nice to meet you both.”

Hope’s ears prick at Raf’s flat tone of voice. “Where’s Landon? And Josie? Didn’t they just have English class?”

“Landon’s sick.” Rafael mumbles, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.

“Since when?” 

Raf just shrugs, taking his time to chew before he answers. “Few days. I told Dr Saltzman and he said it was cool. Landon doesn’t have any exams until later in the week anyway. He only takes like, Origin of Species and History of Magic.”  
  


“What about your non-magical subjects?” Maya asks curiously. 

“Those exams are next week.” Raf sighs, looking done with everything. Hope is getting the sense that it’s a shared feeling amongst many. She watches as Raf throws back a can of coke like he wishes it were something stronger. 

“Lizzie, where’s Josie?” Hope asks, rolling her fork between her fingertips.

“Like every time you ask that question, how should I know? Studying in the library, probably.” 

Hope rolls her eyes at the useless answer. It’s never good when Josie skips meals and she wishes Lizzie would pay more attention to that.

But, as usual, Lizzie ignores any irritation directed her way, turning her attention elsewhere. “So, Maya. How’s the wolf life treating you?”

“It’s...weird. I can hear people’s private shit all the time, like my room neighbour was fucking her boyfriend last night and I could hear _everything._ ” She pulls a disgusted face.

“Yeah, try being a vampire.” MG snorts. “It’s even worse. Jo knows how to make these great earplugs that like mould completely to your ear. They block everything out. You should ask her for some.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Maya says airily. “How do you get used to the super strength? I tossed my phone towards my bed and it ended up hitting the wall and shattering.”

“My dad would have confiscated your phone anyway.” Lizzie says. “The only student allowed a cell phone in this school is dearest little Hope.” She shoots Hope a rebuking look and Hope shrugs.

“I need to be on call for Malivore issues.”

“Like we don’t all help with that shit.” Lizzie retorts.  
  


“So how do I call my mom?” Maya seems unhappy. 

“There’s landlines around the school.” MG says kindly. “Dr Saltzman just knows that cell phones encourage social media, and the last thing the school needs is something supernatural accidentally getting caught on camera and posted.”  
  


“I guess that makes sense.” Maya pokes at her food with her fork, yet to take a bite.

“So what about your exams, Maya? Don’t tell me you’ve scammed your way into skipping finals?” Lizzie seems to pick up on Maya’s lowered mood, but there’s also a hint of envy in her voice.

“No, no.” Maya sighs. “I’m going into Mystic High next week just to take the exams.” She finally spoons lasagna into her mouth. “Damn, I have to say this food beats public school food by a mile.”

“Damn right it does!” Kaleb finds his way into the conversation. “I’m always giving the cooks suggestions. I even gave them my momma’s recipe for apple pie.” He winks.

Maya laughs. “Hey where can a girl get a coffee in here?” 

Kaleb points out the drinks station, and once she’s gone, he turns back around, hands clasped together. “Now she is–”  
  


“A lesbian.” Hope says bluntly. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”  
  


MG snickers as Kaleb’s eager expression dies like roadkill on his face. The other boy shoves him nearly off his seat in response. 

“Okay, okay!” MG throws his hands up. “Guess what? I’ve got my chit chat with Ms Jewel later.”

“ _Who_?” Lizzie asks. Hope is thinking the same.

“The new therapist, remember? We all have to have a session.”

Lizzie pulls a face. “Better get your sobs stories ready MG, she’ll want to know all about them.”

“I had mine last week.” Kaleb says. “She’s cool, actually. Doesn’t force anything.”

“Yeah well, anyone’s better than Ms Tig.” Lizzie retorts.

“Ms Tig is hot.”

“That’s revolting.”

***

Josie’s been hard to pin down all week. Hope sees her occasionally for the exams or in class, but she’ll always flit away afterwards with a hurried excuse. Hope knows part of the reason has to do with Maya, who is practically glued to Hope’s arm, but worries that Josie is also struggling with the dark magic in her body. 

“So some of us were thinking about heading into town to study in a cafe, you in?” Maya asks her as they walk together from their last class of the day. She’s already got Hope’s schedule memorized and found her quickly in the crowded hall. 

“Some meaning who?” 

“The usuals. MG, Liz, Raf, Kaleb.”

Maya has settled in easily and promptly.

“Pass.”

“Come on.” Maya tugs at her arm. “It’ll be good to get a change of scenery.”

“You go.” Hope says distractedly, scanning the crowds of students. “I need to find Josie.”

Maya doesn’t disguise her huff of contempt. “Liz already asked her earlier. She doesn’t want to come.”

“Does _Liz_ know where she is?”  
  


“Probably skulking in the library.”

That turns out to be pretty much true, though _skulking_ isn’t the word Hope would use.

Josie is partly obscured in a shadowed corner of the library, a heavy book open in front of her. She’s wearing an old, loose white sweater, with a hole in one of the arms, and her hair has an unbrushed look about it. One of her fingers is religiously tracing a spiral on the page. 

Hope steps closer, noting that Josie is staring straight ahead, her eyes flicking from side to side like she’s reading something written in the air. 

“Jo?”

Josie snaps out of her trance, sitting up straight and flexing the hand that was tracing the pattern. “Oh, hi. What are you doing here?”

“I haven’t really seen much of you recently.” Hope sits down beside her. “How are you?”

Josie gives her a faint smile that drifts a mile from her eyes. “Fine.” 

Hope creeps a hand across the table to cover Josie’s thin one. “You don’t have to say that. I know how draining it is to carry that kind of magic in your body.”  
  


Josie doesn’t say anything, just looks at her.

“We’ll figure it out soon. I promise.” Hope squeezes her hand. “I thought we could try using the sandclock when you’re unconscious. Maybe your body will be more willing to release the dark magic–”

“It won’t.” 

Hope pauses. “How do you know?”

“I just...do. It’s not going to leave that easy.” Josie says flatly.

“Okay, well–” Hope is struggling to pinpoint Josie’s mood. “Freya called to check how you were doing. I said the black magic was still in you and she’s trying to figure something out. I’ll see her for Christmas. She’ll be able to help.”

Josie just chews her lip, looking away. Hope edges closer. “How bad is it, Jo? I need to know how urgent this is.”

The younger girl looks at her and Hope’s wishes she wasn’t so hard to read right now. “It’s fine, Hope. Just a little draining, like you said.” 

Hope nods hesitantly, and decides to change the subject for now. “What are you reading?” It looks like an anthology.

“Mary Wollstonecraft, for the Romantics exam.”  
  


“What’s that you’ve underlined?”

Josie slips her hand out of Hope’s, pulling the book closer to her. “Oh,” She mumbles. “Just a quote.”

She seems suddenly shy or uncomfortable, Hope can’t quite tell. “Can I hear it?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know…”

  
“Please?”

Josie runs her tongue along her lips. “Okay.” She swallows and begins to read. _“How frequently has melancholy and even misanthropy taken possession of me, when the world has disgusted me, and friends have proved unkind. I have then considered myself as a particle broken off from the grand mass of mankind.”_

The silence that follows echoes loudly in the dusty library as Hope digests the words. 

“That’s sad.” She finally whispers, searching Josie’s guarded face. 

The other girl doesn’t take her eyes off the page. 

“That’s loneliness.” 

***

“Okay, so when we get to the area you should undress to your underwear so that your clothes aren’t destroyed. We can leave them somewhere easy to find when we change back.” Hope and Maya are walking through the woods together. It’s Friday, a short while before the full moon and Maya’s first transformation. 

“I don’t think I can do this, Hope.” Maya sounds like she’s going to be sick, her face is wiped of all colour. 

“You don’t have to do anything, your body does it for you.” Hope attempts to reassure her, but really there’s not much she can say. It’s gonna hurt like hell.

“What if I die from the pain?” Maya seems to be hyperventilating, her breath coming out short and hard.

Hope stops. “You won’t die. For over a thousand years, wolves have turned at the full moon. It’s natural for our kind.”

Maya just rapidly shakes her head. “I can’t–”

“Maya.” Hope cuts her off firmly, gripping her shoulders. “You’re gonna get through this. Your body is stronger than you could ever imagine.” Maya tries to turn away but Hope pulls her back. “Yes it’s gonna be painful, but once it’s done, we’re going to run together, and you’re gonna feel freer than you’ve ever felt in your fucking life, okay? And then tomorrow we’re gonna go to the post moon party that the wolves hold every month in celebration of getting through another full moon.”

Maya doesn’t relax, she doesn’t even nod, but resolve tightens her face – cloaked in fear, but there all the same. 

It’s enough.

***

As the process begins, Hope is reminded of why it’s called a curse. She’s never been there to see someone change for the first time, and watching it is… horrifying.

Maya’s brave face shatters as soon as her bones begin to break, her screams of pain echoed back to her by the other wolves changing. 

If there’s one thing that the change does, it’s rip down your barriers. Any resilience or dignity you may think you have is nothing in the face of every bone in your body breaking and resetting in grotesque new ways. 

Hope just crouches in the mud, whispering reassurances, wondering how a glowing orb sitting tall in the sky – the poet’s muse – can cause a lovely girl so much torment. 

“This is my punishment, isn’t it?” Maya chokes out at one point, face soaked in snot and tears. “For–” She twists suddenly, body contorting. “–for killing that man.”

Hope won’t lie to her. “I don’t know.”

It seems to continue endlessly (Hope is _sure_ her transformation was quicker than this) but eventually every part of the Maya she recognises is gone, and in her place is a sleek black wolf, weighing her up with its eyes. 

Hope strips and changes immediately, and then they run. 

They run and run and run, all the fiddly particles of the world falling away from them, until it’s just cold wind, thick trees and wet mud that slaps against their paws. 

It’s the longest run Hope has done in a while. Maya is dashing about, winding through the forest, jumping off rocks into freezing cold streams. 

That night, living seemed a little sharper, the moon a little brighter.

When the sun begins to rise, the two girls change back and find their clothes, still basking in the rush of their run. Once dressed, they lie for a while, letting the thin winter rays tickle at their skin.

“That was… incredible.” Maya is the first to break the quiet.

“I told you.” Hope smiles, tilting her face up at the sky.

“But the pain–” Maya swallows. “I’m not sure I can go through that every month.”  
  


“It gets easier. And faster.”

“Really?”

“I promise. Now, breakfast?”

***

When Hope gets back to her room to nap, she finds a note pushed under her door.

_Hope –_

_Sorry for the short warning, but you have your therapy session with Ms Jewel today at 2pm._

_Her office is on the second floor, and is clearly labeled._

_Caroline_

It’s not enough to completely sour her good mood, but it definitely puts a dent in it.

She finds the room easy enough, knocking twice. The door opens inwards without her touch and Hope steps inside. 

The room is of medium size, but very much contained, like it exists in its own little world; as soon as the door shuts behind her, it’s silent. Hope is immediately hit with the smell of woody incense, infused with a scent she can’t quite pinpoint, but knows it’s the kind that makes your brain a little hazy. The walls are lined with wooden shelves, almost tipping over with books and objects such as statues and crystals – though some appear to be darker objects, the sort that Hope wouldn’t expect a newly hired therapist to possess. There’s a heavy desk at the back of the room, by a small window, and in the centre is a faded looking sofa, the kind that droops in the middle and holds seven different cushions. Facing the sofa is a leather armchair, and in that chair is Ms Jewel, watching her observe the room. 

“You like?” Her voice is lower than Hope expected, and has a rich tone to it.

“It’s a lot.” Is all she replies. “Shall I sit here?” She points to the sofa.

Ms Jewels nods.

Hope sits, disliking that it places her at lower vantage point than Ms Jewel. She pulls the neck of her turtleneck sweater up to her face and crosses her arms, waiting for the woman to speak. 

Ms Jewel interlocks her fingers. “So, it’s nice to meet you, Hope. How are you doing today?”

“Not too keen about a therapy session on a Saturday.”

“Understandable. But we have a lot of students to get through before the holidays, and I didn’t want our session to be rushed.”

“Don’t extend it on my account.”

“Ah, Hope.” The woman’s lips twitch. “I feel compelled to tell you that this is not an analysis, for the decision has already been made for you to attend compulsory weekly therapy sessions, starting next semester.”  
  


Irritation boils in her stomach. “Who decided? How is that fair?”

“You bear a huge burden, Hope. This session is your chance to unload.”

Hope scoffs. “Shouldn’t that be my choice?”  
  


Ms Jewel sits forward, her dreads resting on her shoulders. “I’m not your enemy, Hope. This conversation can go in whichever direction you wish it.”

Hope frowns at her. “Who are you? Where did you come from?” Dr Saltzman is not in the habit of letting new people into the school, so the whole situation is strange to Hope.

“I am a friend of Caroline’s. She sought me out initially in New Orleans for help on something else.”

“New Orleans?” Hope startles. “You’re from there?”

Ms Jewel inclines her head. 

“So you knew my father.” Hope’s voice is level, controlled.

“Everyone knew your father.” To her credit, Ms Jewel’s expression is unreadable.

“But did you _know_ him?”

It takes the woman a few beats to answer. “Not personally.”  
  


Hope sits back, oddly disappointed. When it comes to her dad, she always feels a greed for more information on him, even though it usually disturbs her. It’s like poking at a wound.

She can feel Ms Jewel’s eyes sliding across her face. “Do you feel like you take after your father, Hope?”

“What?” Hope’s first reaction is offence. “Why would you say that?”

“I didn’t say anything. I asked.”

“I know what my father has done.” Hope’s voice is louder. “That’s not something I wish to replicate.”

Ms Jewel waits for her to calm down. Internally, Hope curses at herself for letting this lady get to her.

“People are made up of multiplicities, Hope.” She finally speaks, albeit slowly. “And with parents, it’s almost impossible for some of those not to rub off on us, whether we want them to or not.”

Hope doesn’t respond, her eyes caught on a sandclock – an _actual_ sandclock – that sits in the corner of the room. Ms Jewel follows her eye line. “Ah yes. I don’t believe in time labeled by numbers. Only the elements of the earth for me. When the sand has finished falling, our session is over.”  
  


Hope rolls her eyes, willing those tiny grains to do their damn job and fall already. 

“How about...you name a trait of your father’s that you like about yourself, and a trait that you think others may view as negative.”

Really? Back to her dad again? Hope sighs. “I paint.”

“So you’re creative?”

“With painting, yes.”

“What do you paint?” 

Red lips flash in her mind. She swallows. “Whatever I need to.”

“Need? Is painting a need for you?”

“Yes.” She grits out.

“Why?”

“Because how else am I going to express myself?” She snaps.

Ms Jewel pauses. “What have you needed to express recently?”

Hope stays quiet. _None of your business_. 

“Okay.” Ms Jewel smiles, recognising her resistance. “What about a trait others don’t like about you?”

That’s easy. “I’m controlling, and I don’t trust people.”

“You don’t trust anybody?”

Hope hesitates. “I trust my family.”

Ms Jewel nods. “What about people you’ve met here?”

Hope shrugs. 

“Hasn’t Dr Satzman become something of a father figure to you?”

“For a while, I considered him that, yes.”

“What changed?”

Hope just raises her eyebrows.

Ms Jewel raises hers back. “Everything said in this room is confidential, Hope.”

“You _just_ said you’re friends with Caroline. And probably by extension, Dr Saltzman.”

Ms Jewel’s nose twitches in something akin to displeasure. “I don’t know that man from Adam. And as for Caroline, our friendship doesn’t run deep. This is my career, I understand the need for privacy.”

Hope runs her tongue along her teeth as she considers. “I paid closer attention to the way he fathers his own children, and reconsidered.”

Ms Jewel nods, seemingly satisfied. “You’re referring to Lizzie and Josie?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s my understanding, from Caroline, that you’re friends with them– especially Josie?”

Hope shifts in her seat. “Yes.” 

“Close friends?”

“Yes.”

“So, taking this back to trust.” Ms Jewel’s eyes focus in on her. “Do you trust Josie?”

Hope bites her lip, pressing deeper with her teeth as she thinks. 

“No.”  
  


For the first time, the woman opposite her seems a little surprised. “Why not?”

She thinks of Josie, bleeding from her eyes, battering her body with that fucking pothos spell. 

“Because I cannot trust her with herself.”  
  


***

Hope is heading back from her therapy session when she runs into Lizzie. 

“Hope! I’ve been looking for you!”

She’s got that frantic Lizzie air about her that Hope generally likes to avoid.

“Why?”  
  


Lizzie whips out a diary. “Which day this week is best for you to go dress shopping?”

“What?” They’re walking as they talk, Lizzie walking backwards in front of her.

Lizzie rolls her eyes. “The _ball_ , Hope. God. It’s this Friday!”  
  


The Christmas ball is probably the absolute last thing on Hope’s mind. “I’ll just wear the dress I wore for your birthday party last year.”

“So you _are_ going? And you can’t rewear a dress!” Lizzie splutters.

“I don’t see why not.”

“To which?”

“Both.”  
  


“Well firstly, you’re rich. You have no excuse to come in that same tired dress. And secondly... if you’re coming, do you have a date?”  
  


They reach Hope’s room and she unlocks it. “I don’t need a date.”  
  


“True…but since Josie and I both have one, you’re gonna look real sad dancing on your own.”  
  


Hope pauses, her stomach curling up. “Josie has a date?”

Lizzie drops dramatically into her desk chair. “Well, Jed asked her. I don’t think she’s said yes _yet_ , but I don’t see why she would say no. I told her to go ahead and say yes because even though he’s an idiot, I bet he looks good in a suit.”  
  


Hope doesn’t say anything, her mind full of fabricated images of Jed and Josie slow dancing. Annoyingly, she can picture it with ease.

“Is that a problem, Hope?” Lizzie asks, a sly tone to her voice.

“No.” Hope turns away, rummaging around for her chemistry textbook. “I just don’t see how you can care about a dance when Josie is still full of dark magic.”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“What?” Hope demands, stepping towards Lizzie.

“Jesus – _heel_.” Lizzie puts her hands up. “She drained the black magic.”

“What?” Hope shakes her head, unable to comprehend. “How? She would have told me.”

“The sandclock. Yesterday. It worked.”

“That doesn’t make sense. On Wednesday she said there was no chance it would work.” Hope’s words tumble out rapidly.

“Well, it did. Apparently it just needed some time.” Lizzie stands up, placing her hands on Hope’s tense shoulders. “You should be _happy_.”

“She’d have told me.”

Lizzie rolls her eyes, heading for the door. “She hasn’t seen you, you’ve been with your new bestie.”

Hope continues to frown. 

“Okay…” Lizzie drags the word out. “I’m gonna go. I’ll see you at the party later, and let me know about shopping!”  
  


For a long while, Hope stays in same spot, thinking hard. Like a magnet, she feels her eyes drawn to the third painting on her wall, where they catch on red lips like its inevitable.

She knows in her gut that something isn't right.

***

Hope spends the rest of the afternoon partly studying, mostly sulking. It hurts her feelings that Josie didn’t come to her about the sandclock _or_ the fact that Jed is suddenly over his grudge and is asking her to the ball. 

She eats in her room like a hermit, and at around 7:30pm, an hour and half before the party is due to start, she heads over to Maya’s room. 

“Wow.” Is her first remark as she takes in the _hurricane_ before her eyes. Maya’s entire floor is covered in clothes, makeup scattered across the girl’s bed. 

“Shut up.” Maya whines from where she’s crouched in front of her mirror, eyelash curler in hand. “This is my first party here, I wanna look nice.”

Hope laughs, stepping further into the room. “Maya, it’s the middle of December. Everyone will be in coats.”

“First impressions are important.” Maya says, though her voice now sounds slightly less hysterical. 

“You’ll look good no matter what you wear, idiot.” Hope reassures her. “Listen, I just came by to ask you something.”

“Hmm?” Maya is focusing on curling her lashes to perfection.

“You know it’s the Christmas Ball next Friday?”

“Of course. I’m excited.”  
  


“Right. Do you have a date?”  
  


Maya chuckles. “I’ve only been here a week. Even I don’t work _that_ fast.”  
  


“Wanna go together?”  
  


Maya pauses what she’s doing, turning around. “Hope Mikaelson, are you propositioning me?”  
  


Hope laughs out loud. “In your dreams, maybe.”

Maya grins. “Where’s my banner?”

“This isn’t a prom proposal.”

“I believe they call them _promposals_.”

Hope rolls her eyes, still smiling, and walks back to the door. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She says over her shoulder.

“Only because I don’t have any other options.”  
  


“Yeah, yeah.”

  
  


***

It’s around an hour later when Hope hears a quiet knock on her door. 

“Come in.” She says, expecting Maya. 

It’s Josie, dressed in blue jeans and a stripey sweater, the sleeves pulled over her hands. Her makeup is done, her lips a deep pink.

She’s fiddling with her fingers as she speaks. “Hi.”  
  


“Hey.” All of the hurt and annoyance that Hope has been feeling all afternoon momentarily dissipates at the sight of her. 

Josie walks in and gently sits down on the bed beside Hope. The scent of jasmine washes over her and Hope feels like she hasn’t smelt it in weeks. Up close, Josie’s cheeks are a little flushed, and when the younger girl looks up there’s just the slightest haze about her eyes. Hope guesses that Josie may have had a glass or two of something, and when the other girl licks her lips she can detect the faint richness of red wine. 

“You drained the magic?” Hope has to ask. The implicit question is there: _why didn’t you tell me?_

Josie frowns. “What?” Then her expression clears and she looks away. “Oh, right. I did.”  
  


“You did.” Hope clicks her tongue. “Did you not think that might be the sort of thing I’d like to know?”

“I’m telling you now.”

“You should have told me as soon as you did it.” Hope automatically leans closer.

“Well.” Josie’s smile is tense. “You weren’t exactly around.”  
  


Hope breathes in and out. All day she thought she wanted to argue with Josie, but now she realises she doesn’t. “That’s true. I still think you could have told me earlier, but no matter. I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

Josie chews at her lip and says nothing. 

“Did you–” Hope stops. “Did you come here for something?”

“How was it?” Josie says in lieu of an answer. “With Maya? Last night?”

Hope is surprised that she wants to know. “The change was hard, of course. But running together…” She can’t help but smile at the memory. “Fucking incredible. Like, I’ve always regretted that I never got to run with my parents as wolves. And yeah, I’ve run a couple times with Keelin. But usually, I go alone. And I like it, alone.” Josie is watching her. “But I don’t know, it was just so much fun.”

Josie's gaze moves to the wall behind her. “That’s nice, Hope. I’m happy for you.” Her voice is ever so quiet.

“Jo, you okay?” She feels like she’s asking that question a lot at the moment.

Josie closes her eyes, breathing in deeply and Hope is getting worried. She’s about to repeat her question when the other girl suddenly shuffles closer, moving onto her knees. She takes Hope’s hands, startling her. “I came because there’s _things_ I have to say, that I need to get out before…” She stops. “I just need them out.” 

Hope looks at her with wide eyes. 

“Hope. You have to know that I appreciate you _so_ much. Even if I don’t show it sometimes. It’s just my head is so loud all the time, and you make it quiet. But you’re the noise too, you’re all the best parts of the noise, and all the necessary quiets.”

“Jo…” She stutters, but Josie presses a finger against her lips, shaking her head.

“Before this crazy semester ends, I just need you to know how much you did for me these past couple of months, how much I’ve realised because of you…” She trails off, swallowing visibly. Hope feels shaky too.

“What I wanted to say was–” Josie’s eyes dart away and back again, her hands trembling in Hope’s. “That I... “ She swallows again, looking conflicted. There’s a long pause in which Hope’s waits on tenterhooks. The seconds tick by.

Then Josie seems to deflate slightly. “That I want to end this year with you. Will you go to the dumb ball with me?”

“Oh.” Hope’s stomach drops first in shock, and then dismay. “ _Oh._ Jo, I can’t.”

Josie blinks. “What?”

“I–” Hope’s voice cracks and she feels strangely like crying. “I already asked Maya.”

She might as well have punched Josie in the stomach. The younger girl falls backwards, eyes pooling. “Oh, right.” 

“But I mean, we can all go together.” Hope knows she’s shattered something precious here, and she’s desperately trying to gather the pieces. “It’s not like it matters– I mean, it matters, but you know–”

Josie’s hands are shaking and she tightens them into fists.

“I thought you were going with Jed.” Hope says miserably. 

“No, I turned him down.” Josie mumbles, standing up. _Oh._

Hope gets up too, but doesn’t move forward. “Don’t go.” She pleads, her voice cracking apart. 

Josie’s back is hunched in on itself. “I need to.” Her voice is a frail whisper. “I’ll see you later, Hope.”

Once the door shuts, Hope cries, not understanding anything.

***

Hope attends the party solely for Maya’s sake. She spends the majority of it hidden away in a corner, sipping a too sweet, too strong drink and going over the conversation with Josie obsessively in her head. 

She hasn’t seen Josie, but she also hasn’t sought her out either.

Occasionally Maya will pop over and try and persuade her to dance. Hope just shakes her head, muttering something about being tired. 

“What’s up with you? You were fine earlier.” This time her friend takes a seat on the log beside her. 

“Nothing.” Hope mumbles, pulling her coat tighter around her body.

Maya seems to intuit what that word really means. “Josie.”

Hope keeps silent. For a while, Maya does too. 

“You know, Hope. For the longest time, I was a tough girl.” Maya breaks their companionable silence, rolling her beer bottle between her hands. “I never knew my daddy. He was a one night stand my mom had a few months after Ethan’s dad left her. He was still only a baby at the time. I was the product of a grief fuck. Ethan’s dad keeps in contact with him, takes him to a football game, or out for dinner every one in a while. My dad? He never even bothered to learn my name.” 

Maya takes a long swig. 

“When you’re _born_ with that rejection, you either wear it like a skin, or you grow tougher skin. For years, very little could shake me. I came out when I was twelve, you know? I was dead certain and no one could tell me otherwise.”

Hope smiles, imagining a smaller, stubborn Maya telling the world she was a lesbian. 

“And then when I was fourteen, I did the one fucking thing you never want to do at that age. I fell in love.”

Hope's smile vanishes.

“Her name was Katie.” Maya’s voice is noticeably unsteady. “And she was about as far buried in the closet as you get them. I met her at a summer camp. Super Christian family, the whole cliche. But I loved her and there was fuck all I could do about it.”

The dark haired girl takes a longer drink, like she needs the pause.

“I’m not gonna get into details, cause frankly it’s still too raw.” She turns to look at Hope intently. “But I thought I was strong, Hope. That nothing could rattle me. But this girl pulled me apart from the inside out. She had me hiding and changing myself just to please her because pleasing her made me happy.” 

Maya drops the empty bottle. “And then she discarded me. Pretended I didn’t exist. It took me a year to put myself back together again.”

Hope listens, her whole body pulled taught like a bow. Maya tucks a finger under her chin and turns Hope’s face to look at her. 

“I’ve never met anyone like you, Hope. And not just because you’re a tribrid.” She smiles, but Hope can’t seem to summon one in return. “You have the kind of will and strength that most people spend a lifetime trying to build.” That same pleading look inhabits her eyes once more. “Don’t let some wildfire of a girl burn it all down.”

  
  


***

It’s hours later, when the party is winding down, that Hope finally spots Josie. 

She’s clearly very drunk – like, Raf’s party level of drunk – and seeing that alone strips Hope of any hesitancy remaining from their earlier interaction. 

She’s making her way towards her when Josie trips backwards, disappearing behind the very log that Hope had been sitting on all night. 

“Jo!” She calls out instantly, running over. Josie is lying on the ground, not making any move to get up. “Oh, Jo. You gotta stop drinking so much at these parties.” Hope chastises, grabbing onto Josie’s icy hands and tugging her into a sitting position. Wet, rotted leaves – the ashes of a beautiful autumn – are caught in her dark hair. Hope picks a few of them out with a sigh and Josie watches through heavily lidded eyes. “You’re a mess now.”  
  


“Ha.” Josie lets out a wet chuckle. She throws her arms out. “Already was.” Beer sloshes out of the bottle in her hand and onto her jumper.

Hope tries to take it from her but she swings her body away, cradling the bottle to her chest. “Nu-uh.”

“Jo.” Hope clenches her jaw. 

“Uh oh. Not the serious voice.” Josie whispers theatrically. “Live a little, Hope.” Her voice is light but Hope sees something buried beneath the drunken haze in her eyes. 

“Fine.” She sits down on the sodden ground beside her. “You wanna drink ‘til you're sick? Don’t let _me_ stop you from living.”  
  


Josie looks a bit baffled by this. She slowly lifts the beer to her lips and takes a sip. Hope watches. “So what? You’re not going to–” She hiccups. “–force me to my room?”

“Nope.”

“You’re just going to sit there?”  
  


“Sure.”  
  


Josie narrows her eyes, and Hope can only imagine the cogs turning sluggishly in her inebriated brain. 

Then she shrugs. “Okay.” Josie reaches behind her, fumbling in the dark and almost tipping her body over. Her right hand returns with a half full vodka bottle, which she uncaps, discarding the beer. Hope’s eyes widen. 

“Jo–”

She begins to neck the bottle as if it’s water, not a burning spirit. 

Hope snatches it from her, the glass knocking against Josie’s teeth, and throws it into the forest.

“I knew you were being fake chill.” Josie giggles, wiping her wet mouth.

“What’s wrong with you?” Hope snaps.

Josie ignores her, feeling around her teeth. “I think you chipped my tooth.”

“No I didn’t.” Hope hesitates, watching as Josie continues to prod around with her finger. “Did I?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to look.” Josie drops her hand and opens her mouth. 

“Seriously?” Hope crawls closer, squinting in the darkness. Josie sways on her knees so Hope grabs her jaw. “Keep still.”

Josie’s breath is hot on her face and fingers as she gently lifts her upper lip. “Your tooth is fine.” Hope tuts. Josie bites down on her finger, not hard enough to hurt. “Jo…” The feeling of Josie’s silky tongue against her finger shocks her in the core of her stomach. 

“Gotcha.” Josie mumbles around the finger.

Their faces are inches apart, locked in an impasse. Hope swallows roughly, noticing Josie shiver. 

“Where’s your coat?” She whispers, carefully pulling her finger away. It’s damp. Josie shrugs, licking her lips. “Okay. You can find it tomorrow. Let me just tell Maya that I’m leaving–”

“Urgh!” Josie pulls away from her clumsily. “Who the fuck cares?” Her voice is more slurred than before and Hope guesses that the vodka she chugged is hitting. “What’s so great, huh?”

“About what?”

“About Maya. You just let her take–”

“Take?”

“Take! She takes and takes and _fucking_ takes. She needs to find her own!” Josie shouts angrily, standing up on shaky legs.

“You know this is the only place she can be, Josie. She can’t go to another school.”  
  


Josie makes a noise of frustration, pressing her hands into her cheeks. “Not school.”

“Then what?”

“Is everything alright?” It’s Maya, winning the award for absolute worst fucking timing. Hope makes a violent gesture with her hand for her to go away but Josie has already noticed. 

“Bitch.” Josie stumbles towards her. “Can never mind your damn business, can you?”

Maya folds her arms. “I heard your drunken rambling and thought Hope could use a hand getting you back to the school.”

Josie half scoffs, half laughs. “You think I’d let _you_ touch me?”

“Don’t be so precious. I wouldn’t be doing it for you.”

“Jo, come on.” Hope grabs Josie around the waist as she sneers at Maya. “Leave it. Maya, just go back to the party, I’ve got her.”

“Fine.” Maya throws her arms up and turns to go.

“And get your own damn person.” Josie growls, hanging out of Hope’s arms. “She’s mine.”

Maya freezes. Then she spins around. “Oh hell no.” She stalks towards Josie. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you that people aren’t fucking possessions?”  
  


Hope’s arms have gone slack as she processes Josie’s words, and the younger girl takes the opportunity to break free. She runs at Maya with surprising speed, smacking into her and clawing at her face. 

“Fuck!” Maya calls out in shock. She shoves Josie away violently and the younger girl hits the ground hard. “I wouldn’t come after me if I were you, bitch. Remember I’m a wolf now? And you’re pretty much useless without something to siphon from.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you.” Josie hisses, standing up. 

Hope rushes to place herself between them, facing Josie. “Jo, you can’t do this!” She yells. Josie flinches, taking a step back. “I get that you’re threatened by her, that you think she’s…she’s...” Hope scrambles for the words. “taking your place, or something! But you need to get a hold of yourself. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” 

Josie stares at her and Hope’s heart crumbles bitterly when she sees tears in her eyes for the second time that night. Tears that, once more, she's the cause of.

“Jo–”

  
“ _Fuck you,_ Hope.” Josie spits. “Fuck you.” She turns, almost tripping again, and runs away, a small speck disappearing into the night.


End file.
